Watch where you're going!
by DiRTy-LaRrY
Summary: When Athrun bumps into her, he didn't know what was about to happen. He'd been having a bad day. Did he just make it worse? He picked up her books, handing them back to her, and she yelled Watch where you're going! Rating may change...
1. Watch Where You're Going!

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**Teehee, this is my first try at writing fanfiction. I know it may be bad, but please read it. Just read and review and I'll be happy! Oh and please enjoy!**

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Chapter 1 

Athrun looked up. Looked up at the birds. At the sky beyond the birds. The clouds filling the sky. At the-

"Mr. Zala! Stop daydreaming and answer my question! What was the use of the-"

"Sorry sir…The Panzer 1 was a prototype German tank and the Panzer 2 one of the mainstream initial tanks that the Germans produced. Both didn't play major parts in any world wars."

"Hmph…Yes, you're correct." Ross moved back to his original topic-tanks of World War I and II, boring the class in his monotone voice.

Athrun leaned back not noticing the eyes of admirers following him. Athrun Zala was a name that all the teachers remembered for the apparent "right" reasons. Scoring straight A's for his work and maintaining a perfect school record was an accomplishment in their eyes. To him he was a sad, study-obsessed student that had been elevated to the status of teacher's pet. Not that being a teacher's pet helped where it mattered. He was quite sure that he wouldn't have a serious relationship for a while…

Athrun let out an exasperated sigh. He was hopeless in relationships. He'd only ever had one serious relationship, and it had been a total disaster.

_Dumped even before I'd gone out with her. I must be really terrible at these social things… _He let out another sigh and yawned.

"Mr. Zala would you refrain from daydreaming in class? Granted Ms. Clyne is very pretty but I am here to teach you history not let you daydream about your relationships with the opposite sex." Athrun blushed a deep shade of red and realised he'd been staring at a girl sitting at the opposite side of the room. He could hear the laughter of girls and boys ringing around him, and hurriedly turned his face away from Lacus Clyne.

Lacus. The only person to best him in studies. The beautiful singing sensation of the school. And the girl who'd dumped him for his best friend before she'd even gone out with him. Lacus was better than him in studies. If he would score 95 for a test she would score above 96. Her straight pink hair and slim figure had sent many guys lusting after her. But in the end the "pink princess" had fallen for Kira Yamato, the chocolate haired boy sitting next to him.

"Hey, she's my girl Athrun, get over it!" Kira grinned teasing Athrun. Athrun blushed an even deeper shade of red.

Kira was a computer whiz kid. His dark wavy hair framed his slightly feminine, but no less attractive face. His slight figure was deceiving, hiding a sinewy lean body. Athrun and Kira had known each other since they were young kids, and their friendship had never wavered to this day.

Lacus grinned at Athrun and pretended to blow him a kiss, causing him to turn even redder still in his embarrassment. Kira pretended to be angry with Athrun nudging him in the ribs and putting on an angry face.

"Why you-Are you trying to steal my girl?" Kira said cracking his knuckles and then playfully punching his arm.

Athrun groaned inwardly. _This day is NOT going well…_

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Athrun had finally got out of history class. His dark blue hair fell neatly beside his sharp face. His slightly tanned and serious face was apparently attractive. Add onto that a hunk's body and you attracted attention. A lot of it…Not that he cared… 

I really need some sleep…Have only got 5 hours lately…God…so tired…I think I'd better go and-

BANG.

Athrun stumbled back and suddenly looked around. He'd bumped into someone. A girl, by the smell of his clothes. Expensive perfume too…

He looked around again, and this time saw a young girl getting up off the floor. Her blond hair rushed around her wildly as she struggled to get to her feet. Slightly disorientated she leaned against the wall to recover. Her orange-brown eyes darted around as she looked to see who'd crashed into her.

Athrun walked over to her, concern written all over his face. Then he saw all of her books on the ground. Turning red again, he began to pick up her books.

"I'm so sorry I didn't-"

"Watch where you're going next time, you jerk!" She yelled at him, grabbed her books out of his arms, storming off.

_What the!_

Around him all of the other people just stared, then started laughing. Pointing. Giggling.

"Looks like he upset the goddess, eh?"

"He isn't going to be in anyone's good books for a while…"

"Ohhh, she got angry at him did she? He'll be in for it at the end of the week!"

Athrun looked wildly around. What was happening? What was this thing about the…Goddess?

_Pfft…It doesn't matter. I have study to get to, and I'm hungry…Oh wait it's lunch! I said I'd meet Kira, Dearka and Yzak at the Mess hall! Shit! Yzak will kill me!_

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_**Well...That was the first chapter...Enjoy? More coming soon, P! (If you didn't like it, it's alright...I understand...)  
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	2. The Three Goddesses and a copycat

Chapter 2 

When Athrun reached the Mess hall Kira, Yzak, and Dearka were all waiting for him. To his surprise Yzak had a grin instead of a scowl on his face.

Yzak and Dearka were two of his closest friends at the high school. Both were medium-built but besides that they were very different. Dearka was carefree and laidback, with curly blond hair and tanned skin. He spent most of his time chasing girls and swimming, or both at the same time.

Yzak on the other hand, was all regulations and rules. He was one of the Assistant Prefects of the school. Overly serious and possessing a short temper Yzak quite frequently embarrassed himself in front of others whenever he lost his temper. His white hair (apparently the stress had got to him…) fell straight down the sides of his face, and he gazed over at other people with steely cold eyes. Most of the time.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Yzak roared with laughter, prompting the people near them to move away quickly.

"Shut up man, you're gonna get us kicked out!" Dearka nudged Yzak in the ribs, at which point the other boy quietened down.

"What's so funny?" Athrun asked, quite bewildered.

"Apparently you had a head-on collision with one of the goddesses of our school…" Kira said mildly.

_News travels fast. Especially about my mishaps in life…_

Athrun sighed. "What do you mean goddesses? As far as I recall no-one here is immortal." At which point Yzak roared with laughter. Again.

"You don't know about the girls everyone calls the Goddesses?" Dearka asked. "Athrun, Athrun…shameful my friend."

"What?"

"Fine, you don't really keep up with these things I guess. Might as well enlighten you now. Like they say: better late than never." Dearka murmured. "The Goddesses are pretty much the sexiest, hottest babes in our school. Every single guy compares his girlfriend to one of them apparently."

"How the hell do you know that?" Athrun asked shocked.

"I did it for a survey." Dearka answered, winking. "Anyway…Currently there are…3 goddesses…And a copycat."

"A copycat?"

"Of one of the goddesses."

"Well at least tell me who they all are…"

"I'm going out with one of them." Kira said. Athrun looked at him shocked.

"You-you mean-"

"Yeah, Lacus is one. The others are Flay Alster, that pesky Year 9 and the one you bumped into. Cagalli Yula Attha. Apparently the only one still single. And the one with a violent temper too…"

_Oh great…_Athrun thought._ My life is destined to be miserable. Apparently I've upset one of the hottest girls of the school…Add to that the fact she has a short fuse and there goes my social life…_Athrun was about to ask about the copycat when Lacus appeared.

"Hey Kira! How ya' goin'?" Lacus said offhandedly. She smiled at Kira, and Kira turned a deep shade of red. They both liked each other but at the same time both were too scared to admit their feelings to one another. Athrun had heard confessions both of them and put two and two together to figure it out.

"I heard about what happened to you Athrun…Man, Cagalli is so pissed right now…I think you'd better apologise…" Lacus murmured.

"Wha-What?" Apologise? To her? She should apologise to me! She's the one who blew up in my face in the first place!" At this point Dearka and Yzak suddenly burst out laughing.

Lacus gave a sympathetic smile. "It's our social standing, Athrun. Granted you're one of the hunks of the school-"

"Since when was I a hunk?"

"Since we found out that you have a group of girls stalking you. You really don't pay attention you know..." Lacus smiled evilly and looked from Athrun to Kira. Athrun just sat there stunned.

"What the hell is this? I-I didn't even know anything about this…" he murmured to Kira. Kira turned away too guilty to answer his friend's question.

"Getting back to the point, even though you're one of the hunks of the school, Cagalli has at least every guy in Year 10 drooling over the prospect of going out with her. I don't think you want them all thinking you went and upset their idol now, do you?"

It was at that precise moment that the end of lunch bell decided to go off. And Athrun hadn't eaten any of his lunch.

_Oh Shit_. _So hungry…_

Athrun thought about Lacus words. _"You should apologise to her."_

_Maybe he would._

_Not it was a stupid idea._

C'mon you weren't watching where you were walking… 

_I…I just don't wanna apologise…_

He made up his mind. He knew what he was going to do.


	3. The Aftermath

Chapter 3 

Athrun finished his physics class. Worn out he reached his locker. Pile upon pile of books greeted him as he opened the locker door. Chemistry books, history books, literature books, all of them greeted him menacingly with the promise of hours and hours of study throughout the term.

Athrun sighed. He was stressed.

_I need something, anything, to relieve me of this stress._ Tiredly he stuffed his books and files in his bag and began to walk home.

Ohh…so tired…need to sleep… 

"Get your hands off me, you pervert!" Athrun turned around, shocked by the statement. _What the hell was happening?_

He turned the corner, to find a boy with purple hair whining, and standing over him was…

The girl from back then. Her short blonde hair flew wildly around her face. She looked angrily at the boy on the ground, and her friends around her did the exact same thing.

"How dare you…You do something like…ARRGH!" She yelled storming off.

"Yeah! How dare you?"

"How could you? What are you, Yuna, some kind of perverted sicko? You're lucky Cagalli even allowed you near her!"

The voices of the girl's friends echoed around the poor boy. Not that Athrun cared. He brushed past them to look for the girl.

_This is insane! What do you think you're doing?_

Voices of caution began to rang in Athrun's head. Dimly aware of them he made his way through the school, trying to follow the girl. She was walking really quickly now, holding her head in her hands, now and again bumping into people. Apologising profusely, she'd resume that extreme walking pace that Athrun was having difficulty in matching.

_I'm apologising! I don't want a group of mad, love struck group of Tom, Dick and Harry's following me!_

A second voice began to sound in his head. He didn't know whether it was his conscience or his heart. But he followed it's instructions anyway. It sounded logical, what it said seemed true.

_Do whatever, but be careful…_

Athrun shook the voices out of his head. He found the girl outside the school cafeteria. She was drinking a coke and holding her head in her hands.

"Hey…" Athrun said awkwardly. Running his hand through his hair he stood there waiting for her to respond.

"Go away, Yuna, I don't wanna talk with you." The girl was still drinking her Coke, paying him no attention.

"Huh? Who's Yuna?"

The blonde haired girl turned around, anger written all over her face and screamed.

"DON'T YOU GO AND-" She suddenly looked at who she was yelling at. And everyone looked at her.

"Oh. Umm, I'm sorry…" She murmured, blushing. "I thought you were someone else…"

Athrun was surprised. He did, however, realise that she'd thought he was someone else. He'd also gone quite deaf, too, considering how loud the girl had screamed.

"Uhh…Mind if I sit down?" He asked.

"Go ahead." She murmured, still blushing and looking at the floor.

Athrun just sat down, for the first time looking at the girl slowly, without a rush or any confusing thoughts in his head. Her short blond hair was spiky, framing a face that resembled Kira's feminine looks. The rest of her was-

_Don't go there. _The voice in his head sounded embarrassed, voicing his own thoughts about girls...Or anything similar to girls...

"Uhh, I just wanted to apologise for what happened today, when I bumped into you…" Athrun murmured, beginning to turn a slight shade of red.

The girl looked up at him for the first time. She seemed to be looking hard at him. The dark blue, short straight hair, framing the sharp face and matured green eyes.

"I really should be apologising about what happened…" She said.

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"I really should be apologising" Cagalli said. She was embarrassed. VERY embarrassed. She'd gotten angry with this guy twice now, both times for pretty much no reason at all.

She could see, too, that he wasn't really that bad looking.

_So this is Athrun Zala, second smartest nerd in the school. Not bad…not bad…_

He'd apparently already analysed her, the way she looked and all. She looked away, her face still burning. "I'm sorry," she murmured, "about what happened in the hall. I…I didn't mean to get angry at you there. I…I hope you can forgive me…" She looked at Athrun again. He was thinking about something, contemplating something in his head. He looked about as embarrassed as she was about the whole situation.

"Your father is rich, isn't he?" Athrun asked, changing the subject of the conversation.

"How did you know?" she asked, surprised.

"I can tell from your perfume. It's an expensive brand." He smiled playfully, and something inside Cagalli cringed.

_This guy is the very first guy to have ever made me feel nervous…But…_

At the same time Cagalli felt like she wanted to get to know him better. He seemed friendly enough. And that smile…

"Alright, if you're so smart, what kind of perfume am I wearing?" she said, grinning.

_I bet that he won't know-_

"Is it Tuberose eau de toilette?" Athrun asked, his face breaking into a massive grin.

Cagalli looked at him, shocked. "How-how did you know that it was-"

"My mother used to wear the exact same perfume. That was, before she died…" Cagalli looked at Athrun with sorrow in her eyes.

"I'm…I'm sorry about your mother…" Cagalli murmured. She looked at Athrun, her hazel-orange eyes staring deep into his dark green ones. She could see tears forming in his eyes. She wanted to wipe those tears away, didn't want to see him hurt…

_What am I talking about? Why the hell would I-Why would I even…_

Athrun brushed the tears away with his sleeve. Looking at her again, he asked "You don't mind if I…Uh…Walk you home?"

She smiled at him. "Sure. Why not?"


	4. Back to school!

**Aye Aye! I'm SOOOO sorry about the delay (that is if you enjoy this fan fic, if not, well...I'm still sorry bout the delay P). Well, here is Chapter 4, R & R, and Chapter 5 should be coming soon! And thank you to everyone who reviewed, thank you very much D**

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**Chapter 4

Athrun had gotten back later than usual. Unlocking his front door he walked in casually.

"BRO! WHY ARE YOU BACK SO LATE?" His little sister screamed at him from across the hallway.

"I'm only 10 minutes late…Sheesh…" Athrun murmured. At 9 years old, his immature little sister Violet pestered him about every single bit of his life. She sucked up to his father just so that she could get extra chocolates and ice cream and have the satisfaction of getting him in trouble.

"You're late. Why?" His sister walked up to him, grinning. Violet inhaled a whiff of the air around him. "Hey…Wait a sec…This is mum's perfume…Did you…?" The girl murmured softly, looking at Athrun through cute puppy dog eyes.

"No, I didn't go to see mum today." Athrun said, pulling off his tie. He'd stuffed his blazer in his bag and was walking to his room, when a strong hand clasped him on the shoulder.

"Well, if you didn't see your mother, then why are you so late?" His father, Patrick, asked. Even in his reclining years, Patrick Zala had a broad, clean-cut jaw that, combined with his large, tall figure made an impressive sight for most people. For Athrun, he was just his dad. He knew his father would be suspicious. He was usually back earlier, and being 10 minutes late was…well…late.

"It's nothing, Dad." Athrun lied rather untruthfully, and a hint of red crept into his cheeks. At the same time however, a smile was playing on his lips. "I just took a little longer to walk home than usual, that's all."

Athrun smiled casually at his father. He then walked past him into his room, taking out the chemistry book from his crowded bag. Chucking his blazer onto his unmade bed and he sat down in his chair. Looked from left to right. On his desk papers were scattered everywhere. Piles of books, fiction and non-fiction, filled his messy room.

He sighed. He…He didn't really know what he wanted right now…When he'd met her…

_It felt…right…being with her…Cagalli…_

Athrun shook his head. He should be celebrating the fact that he was a bachelor! Look at the trouble Kira was having! With a smile, he opened a book on his desk and began to read…

Cagalli woke up, flustered. She'd fallen asleep reading _The Lord of the Rings_. Slowly, she got out of her bed. Cagalli was a violent sleeper. Her pillows lay at the foot of her bed, her blanket thrown askew by her tossing and turning. Turning to her alarm clock, she checked the time.

"Oh SHIT! It's 8 already?" Hurriedly she proceeded to clean her teeth and dress, quickly doing her hair in the bathroom mirror. Her father watched her as she began to run off to school. Chuckling he began to attend to his own work. He was a high-profile businessman, and he knew that he'd better make use of a day at home when he didn't have to go to his office.

Cagalli began to walk to her school She couldn't believe how late she was!

_Mr. Fragomeni is going to KILL ME! He will be SOO annoyed…he is so picky on whether we're late or not…_

Cagalli grimaced, thinking of what'd happen once she got to school. _DEAD. DEAD. DEAD. DEAD._ She knew that was what she'd be the moment that she walked through the school gate.

The word rang out continuously in her head. Cagalli sighed. Her time management skills were poor. She had absolutely not idea of the time or anything related to the time. Sighing again, she remembered something she thought she'd already forgotten.

"_You live with only one parent?" he asked._

"_Yeah." She looked away, not really wanting to talk about her familial arrangements. "I live with my father. My twin brother lives with my mother. She's remarried…"_

_Cagalli turned back to face him. Athrun could see it, the sadness in her eyes, and the sadness over the divorce. He knew better than to continue on the topic of Cagalli's family._

"_You know, it's quite funny, really." Athrun chuckled._

"_What?" Cagalli asked, curious._

"_I'm a class geek and teacher's pet, and you're one of the…Goddesses of the school, and yet look where we are…" Athrun looked away. Clearly he was embarrassed. He'd never really had an intimate relationship before, had he?_

"_Teehee! Why are you blushing, Athrun?" Cagalli giggled. "I heard from Lacus that you'd…uhh…never heard of us before, huh? Teehee!"_

_Athrun blushed red again. Clearly he was in an uncomfortable situation. Cagalli stopped giggling, noticing his silence._

"_Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything." She said. Now it was her turn to blush. Athrun turned around to face her. And he was smiling again. Almost immediately, she forgot about being embarrassed._

"_C'mon, we'd better hurry, I was supposed to be home 5 minutes ago!" He grinned, then playfully knocked her on the head._

"_HEY! WHY YOU-" Cagalli shouted, annoyed, and almost immediately, Athrun began to run, quickly. Very quickly. Laughing, she followed, trying to keep up with his surprisingly quick pace._

Cagalli smiled, thinking about the day before. She realised she'd never felt this way about anyone before. 

"Hey…" a familiar voice called. Athrun was leaning against a wall. He smiled at her and how dishevelled she looked. "Your tie isn't straight…" he murmured. Walking up to her, he adjusted her tie. Cagalli blushed. She didn't need him to do everything for her, did she?

"Uhh…Thanks…I guess." She smiled back at Athrun. Then she looked at him. Why was he? "Sorry about embarrassing you yesterday…" she murmured. He seemed surprised, then laughed. There was a twinkle in his eyes.

"I volunteered to record all the late students, for a period of time." Athrun said, smiling.

_Oh no…If he records me? Then what?_

"Lucky you. I didn't see Cagalli Yula Attha come late, so I didn't record her name…" he said out loud. Then he whispered, "Go now…before anyone sees you…"

_Looks like this might be an interesting day…_


	5. Lost and Found

**I'm SSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I HAVE SOOOOOO MANY EXAMS but mehmehbaaa this is not an excuse slap myself. Well, here is the very long CHAPTER 5!**

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Chapter 5

Athrun walked to his first class of the day. Checking his timetable, he found that it was music. He grinned. He loved music. It was his only chance to chill, be himself, express himself in a way that he could never have spoken of. Music. God's gift to the speaking impaired.

Athrun was a piano player, taught by his friend, Nicol Amalfi's father. Nicol was a great piano player, and usually stuck around with Athrun during breaks, but he was currently on holiday in Hawaii. He had sent Athrun, Yzak, Dearka and Kira postcards of his trip, saying how much he was enjoying himself, and wising that they were there with him. Still, everyone back at school missed him a lot. Everyone appreciated his quiet, gentle personality, and the mature look he had that most teenagers couldn't have possessed at 16.

Athrun made his way to the music room, leisurely taking his time. He noticed, for the first time, a group of girls tailing him stealthily as he made his way through the halls. Ignoring them he continued to walk toward the music room. He had nearly got there, when he saw Cagalli looking around confused. He shook his head mockingly, chuckling amusedly to himself. He'd thought that after 4 years at the school she'd have at least learned the layout of the school.

"Having trouble? You do look lost…Mind after 4 years at the school, you should at least know your way around…God…" Athrun grinned, voicing his thoughts. Then he looked at her with fake concern written on his face. "Where are you trying to go to?"

"OF COURSE I KNOW MY WAY AROUND THE SCHOOL, I'M TRYING TO GET TO A ROOM I'VER NEVER BEEN TO BEFORE AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION I'M TRYING TO GET TO H6!" Cagalli screamed at the top of her lungs at Athrun. He stepped back a pace, covering his ears. People were giving him sour looks, and he could hear the same muttering and accusations being whispered among the crowds of students. He staggered forward a bit, to suddenly feel Cagalli clap him on the shoulder. Not in a hard way, that him and his friends usually did, but softly, firmly, yet comforting at the same time. He looked up, into the hazel-brown eyes…

Cagalli looked down into Athrun's dark green eyes. She could feel the shock at how violently she'd reacted to his playfulness. Could feel him, sad, shocked. She felt guilty at yelling at him. She hadn't meant to offend him, and realised that he hadn't had that much contact with girls like her, otherwise he'd have been used to these kinds of reactions.

"Hey, sorry about that. I kinda over-reacted," she said, turning her face away. She hadn't meant to hurt him. The outbursts of Cagalli Yula Attha were a common thing, and most of the time they were playful snippets of anger. But when she'd yelled at him, she'd made it look as thought he'd really offended her. "I didn't mean to do that. I guess everyone thinks that you made me mad or something. I guess that won't be good for you…"

Athrun looked troubled. When he looked up, his eyes were slightly misty, as though he was thinking of some far off event that had recently occurred. He looked at her hard, as thought he was trying to focus properly on her. The green eyes, the windows to his soul began to fill with tears. One of them formed a drop as it dropped down onto the floor. She peered through into his soul, and in it saw a sad, gentle longing for something that he'd been missing his whole life.

"You're…You're just like my mother." He murmured. "All emotional and everything…She'd be a little angry at me, but she'd always make a big deal out of it, just to see if she could make the rest of the family smile…and now she'd gone…" He turned away, the tears glistening in his eyes. Her hand resting on his shoulder trembled. Wanting to comfort him, it began to move of its own accord, moving toward his hand. She gripped it, trying to comfort him. The next thing she knew she was staring into his eyes. Again. Except this time, they were close together. Really close together.

"Hey, cheer up…She might not be here, but at least you're still here…I mean, at least you know that you make a difference to other people's lives. Like…like Kira! He talks about you all the time, you know?" Cagalli looked at Athrun, at his downcast state. Every time she'd seen him he seemed so calm and happy…Was she the first person to have ever seen him like this? "Umm…What do you have now?"

"Huh? Oh…I've got music now. With Mr. Buchanan…" Cagalli started surprised. She'd never expected to be going to the same class as him. She'd recently transferred from a Business Management class to the Music class.

_But to think that him and me would be in the same class…Wow…_

"Uhh…I'm in your class, you know…" She said. "H6, remember?" It was Athrun's turn to be surprised. He looked at her with a start, then he smiled. She wondered what was going through his head. All he ever seemed to have was a smile, and he never showed how he really felt.

"C'mon, I'll take you there." Athrun said with a smile. He rapped her on the head softly, before beginning to walk to his class. Annoyed she ran up to him and pinched him playfully. Together they walked to the Music class.

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"Mr. Zala…Late. Not your usual standard, young man." Mr. Buchanan was a middle-aged, clean-shaven man who had a relaxed and wise attitude about him. He taught Music and Maths. His dark brown hair was streaked white in places, and he cast a joking eye at Athrun, while the expression on his face asked why he'd been late. 

"Sorry sir. I was just helping Cagalli get to our class." Athrun stepped to the side, to reveal the beautiful girl walking behind him, looking lost as she followed Athrun to her class. She bowed her head, muttering an apology as she walked into the class about how late she'd been, and promised to never to do it again.

Athrun watched as Cagalli walked to the back of the room, and sat next to Lacus, who also played piano with Athrun. This was the one area that he was better than Lacus in. Athrun had learned music for less time than Lacus, but he was by far the better piano player. Deciding to worry about girls another time, he sat next to Kira and Dearka. Kira was the best guitar player in the school, and Dearka a percussionist for the school bands. Yzak was the only one who didn't take music. He couldn't play and instrument, instead preferring to study woodwork and materials design and crafting. At least, he said, it gave him something to vent his anger on when he had a hammer with him. And Yzak was an angry person.

"Well…" Mr. Buchanan announced. "Today you will be receiving your new music assessment. I'm hoping that you'll all enjoy it. It's a mini-concert that you all are supposed to put together and play for us. OK? Here's the assignment sheet." Mr. Buchanan handed out a small A4 sheet of paper, which detailed the requirements of the assignment. "Oh, and you'll be working in groups of…hmm…about…5-6 people, OK?"

Athrun looked around. Him, Kira and Dearka would definitely go together, but who would be the other two or three people in their group? He'd noticed the purple-haired boy from the other day, but he didn't really want to go with him. From what he could see, he was a rather unsavoury character. He scanned the room again, noticing some other people standing by themselves.

_Maybe-_

"Hey Athrun! Could we go with you and Kira? We don't have any one to go with…" Lacus asked quietly. While Lacus was a piano player, she was also a great singer, and Athrun knew that they could maximise that to get the best possible marks they could achieve for the assessment.

_Hang on, she said "we". Who's the other-_

Athrun started from his daydreaming. His eyes refocussed, as he looked around quickly. And found that someone else was staring into his eyes. Hazel-brown eyes clashed with dark green ones. Athrun looked closer, unable establish exactly whom he was seeing. And then he finally was able to see n full clarity.

"Cagalli? You're-You wanna do the assignment with us?" Athrun stammered, a bit surprised.

"Well, Lacus is the only person that I know in the class, besides Kira and you, so I'm going where she's going." Cagalli flashed a smile at him then sat down beside Lacus and him.

"So, bro, what are we gonna be doing for this concert thingo…?" Cagalli asked. Athrun pondered for a second as to who she was referring to. She'd never mentioned anything about a brother…

_Especially a brother in the same-a twin brother?_

"You really shouldn't go around telling everyone that I'm around your brother," Kira said, flushing, "It's really embarrassing for me…" Kira smiled, embarrassed, and Cagalli, upon hearing those words began to giggle. Athrun's mind reeled. Kira was Cagalli's brother? He was stunned. He looked at Dearka with a "what the hell" look on his face. Dearka just smiled back, as though this news old news to him.

_What the-? How screwed up is this? I'm totally confused…_

Athrun looked between Kira and Cagalli, for the first time noticing the similarities in their features. The same sharp face, same slight, dainty features on both of them, and the same spiky hair, the only difference being its colour. But the two people themselves were totally different. Kira was quiet, gentle and friendly. He was always calm but sometimes emotional. But Cagalli was always flustered easily, loud, and sometimes menacing or angry. And she never showed her true emotions. Two totally different people. One set of twins.

"Uhh…What the…" Athrun asked out loud. Kira looked at him apologetically. Cagalli just looked at the two of them, confused. "Since when were the two of you brother and sister…"

"You never knew?" Cagalli asked, surprised. She turned to Kira, glaring at him. Kira began to blush, turning redder, redder, until his head looked like an overgrown tomato. And Cagalli was still glaring at him. Dearka and Lacus were chuckling quietly to themselves.

"How come you never told your friend, Kira? That is _soooo_ not nice…" Cagalli said, her hands resting on her hips.

"I dunno…You know that mom don't like to talk much about you and dad, and she'll only talk about it when you all are over…And she hates me talking about it to anyone besides Dad and you…" Kira said, turning his face away.

"Thank you. I just needed an explanation, that's all." Cagalli turned to Athrun, looking sorry for what Kira'd done. "Our parents divorced when we were very young. Maybe when we were both only 2 or 3 years old. Before you'd gotten to know Kira. We only started to go to the same high school, and by that time, we never talked at school because we belong to different social circles. We talked when we had family gatherings though. Our mother re-married, but our father hasn't. I live with dad, Kira lives with a step-dad and mom."

"Oh…" Athrun said…"Uhh, I don't really think I wanna know too much more…My head hurts…Let's just start work…" Athrun began to open his book, and took down some notes.

"OK, I'm the manager, Kira you're stage manager, Cagalli is stage crew," Athrun said, assigning roles to each of them. "Dearka is the MC and Lacus is secretary. Oh, and Nicol can play background music. Hows that?" Working was Athrun's way of not thinking about the revelations that he had been enlightened to. Kira was Cagalli's brother; Cagalli was his sister-

GAH! Cagalli is Kira's sister! Now even I'm getting confused! 

Athrun exhaled a long breath of air. Then he continued talking. "So, what pieces are we playing?"

"Me and Kira can do a guitar duet, even thought Kira is way better than I am…" Cagalli said with a grin. Kira nodded, showing that he approved.

"OK, you guys work that out yourselves, OK?" Athrun murmured as he recorded what they were doing.

"I'll do a singing piece at the end of it…How does Rie Tanaka's Field of Hope sound?" Lacus asked. "Everyone can participate in it! Dearka can do drums, Athrun can play piano, we've got two guitars, and Nicol for the cello part! It all works out!"

"Whatever…" Athrun murmured, tired. "I'm gonna go and practice my piece…"

Athrun slowly dragged his feet over to the piano, and began to play the song that he'd learnt by himself. It was from a show he'd watched, one that Lacus had given him for his birthday after her trip to Japan. The song was called _Giniro_ from a show called "Air". Athrun had loved the 12 part series, the sad and tragic tale about a girl with wings. Or something along hose lines. All that Athrun remembered was that he'd loved the series, and its beautiful music, which he'd learnt to play.

He touched the first key of the piano, and immediately lost all sense of time, sight, smell; all those illusions disappeared from his life. All that was left was the raw sound and the music. There was the song, the sound, and nothing. He lost himself inside the endless rhythms and abandoned his consciousness, giving himself wholly over to playing the piece.

Cagalli watched him as he played. The passion, the emotion that he conveyed through his music was astounding. She was surprised. Never before had she seen someone ever play so beautifully. She listened, the great symphony of sound orchestrating itself in her mind as different sensation and feelings swept past in a surge of emotion as different memories played in her mind like a cinema documenting her life. Snapping awake from her daydream, she looked down at her guitar, to realise that she'd been playing all this time, brilliantly, without even realising it.

"You're dong great, Cagalli! I can't believe you got the whole solo synchronized with me on your first try!" Kira said with a smile. Cagalli returned his grin, then went back to concentrating on her music. When their practice was over, Cagalli went over to Athrun. He had just finished his song. Slowly eyes opened, moving from their meditative state back to their normal, clear green.

"That was really beautiful, you know," Cagalli whispered in his ear, as she took a seat beside him, "I've never heard anyone play the piano so well…" Athrun looked up, slightly dazed. He'd been so caught up in the music that he was taking a bit of time to come to.

"Thanks, "he said with a smile, "Though there are many people who play better than me…" he looked down at the keys. The polished wood glinted under the fluorescent lighting, giving it a holistic appearance. "Music's become my only way to enjoy myself, express myself. I can convey my emotions and feelings in my music." Athrun smiled, looking at the piano, and yet not looking at it. Looking past it, into some empty spot in the world.

Cagalli looked at Athrun, deep into his eyes, looking again through that window into his soul. It seemed…hollow…empty…Startled, Cagalli looked at Athrun closely. He seemed…weak…

"Hey, Athrun? You OK?" Cagalli asked, looking concerned. Athrun was turning pale.

"Huh? It's nothing, nothing at…" Athrun's voice trailed off. His eyes closed and he began to fall. Cagalli caught him as he fell, holding his head in her lap. Gently she shook him, trying to wake him, grinning at his antic.

"Athrun…Athrun…" Cagalli called softly, trying to wake him up. His eyes didn't open. Worriedly, Cagalli called his name again. "Stop mucking around Athrun…"

Still, he didn't wake. "Athrun? Athrun?" She called his name, but the words fell upon deaf ears.

Kira noticed Athrun, lying down, and Cagalli holding him, trying to wake him.

"'Sup?" Kira asked.

"Something's happened to Athrun…" Cagalli said, worried. "Athrun?" she said to the unconscious form. "Athrun?"

* * *

**Well you may think this ending was really really bad! I know I did! Oh the horrible things that may happen! Hehehehe...Thank you to everyone who reviewed! D And this chapter is considerably longer than the others...Tell me if you like the changes in writing style...  
**  



	6. Falling for her

**HEYLO! I'm BACK! HOWS LIFE! That is what I've been saying on MSN everytime I'm on. Well, not the I'm BACK part...hehehe...This is around halfway of the story. I'm not sure. I'm hoping you're enjoying the story so far...Oh, and I have exams and a holiday so I might not update for a while '( sorry...BUT OH WELL HERE IT IS-CHAPTER SIX!  
**

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Chapter 6 

Athrun awoke to the sound of his own heavy breathing. He moved slightly, feeling a soft bed moving with his weight underneath him. Slowly, he opened his eyes, gazing at a beige roof, and tried to sit up. His body, however, refused to respond to even this simple command, and he found himself stupidly looking up at a being roof. Suddenly, light filled the room. He became dimly aware of someone opening curtains, and tried to move his head sideways. This time, his body concurred, and he found himself looking at someone opening the windows. A woman, opening the window, bathed in sunlight. Dark black hair flowed down and covered her back. Athrun squinted, trying to make out the figure.

_Where am I? And who is that woman? She looks just like Mum…_

Without thinking, he called out aloud, as a question, "Mum?"

The woman turned around, and suddenly, black was blonde, the woman was no longer a woman, but a young 16-yr old girl, and sunlight blurring his vision became darker and he could see properly again. He tried to get up again, and found his body responding to his thoughts again. He looked at the girl properly again, and found himself staring back into innocent hazel eyes. Rubbing his eyes, he found them looking at the girl's face, into the concerned expression on her face. She sat down on the edge of the bed holding his hand. Athrun started a little, feeling the sensation running through his body, then relaxed.

_This is really…weird. I've…never felt like this. What should I do? Why is she holding my hand? Trying to take my pulse or something?_

"Athrun? Are you okay?" Cagalli's voice was quiet, worried, and sounded…hoarse? From crying? Athrun could see lines marking where the tears had dripped down her face. And he could see, again, the tears welling up in her eyes. Then, suddenly, he was lying down, Cagalli lying on top of him, one arm wrapped around his body, the other hitting him on the shoulder, as she sobbed into his chest.

"I was so worried about you…You went and collapsed in the middle of class and I was…I was…You had me so worried! Never, ever, EVER do that to me again, making me so worried…" she yelled, in between racking sobs. Athrun nervously held Cagalli, not knowing what to do. He'd never had a girl this close to him before, let alone TOUCH him like this…

_What am I supposed to be doing? Trying to comfort her? God, I never even had a girl come this close to me before…_

"Why…why were you worried? Why were you worried about me?" Athrun pushed Cagalli off his chest. She rolled over beside by him, snuggling closer to him, her arm underneath, pressed against his back. He likewise, had an arm underneath her, wrapping it around her waist. Together they looked at the ceiling, thinking about, wondering why they were both enjoying the other's company so much.

_This makes no sense…Why did she do that? She was pretty much getting ready to jump me…I mean, I like being her friend, but…this is a bit more than friends…this is like…And why do I feel so comfortable around her...  
_

"Athrun…when we first met. You bumped into me by accident didn't you? And I yelled my head off at you. And afterward, you apologised for that accident, and ever since then…I've been thinking about you and…I don't…I can't get you out of my mind. We've only been friends for a few days and I'm falling in love with you. I don't know why I'm in love with you, but…it's just…"

She looked up into Athrun's eyes again, grasped his free hand and looked at the ceiling. The two of them lay there for some time, just looking at the ceiling, feeling the contentedness of being around each other.

"I still don't understand why, Cagalli. I mean, I really like you, but as much as I'd want to get into a relationship…don't you think it's a bit early? I'm in love with you as well…but…"

_You fool! You're turning her down just to be logical or something? Take a risk, take the chance! You know you're in love with her, ask her out, do something other than this!_

The voice in his head yelled louder, repeating its message into his brain until he couldn't bear it. Then he could hear a second voice. It was cold, hard, harsh, unfeeling. Emotionless. It began to talk, hammering its own message into his brain, and Athrun couldn't tell who it was, where it had come from, but he knew that it was more dominating than the first voice.

_You know better than to jump to conclusions, boy. You are involved in a game of risks and luck. Analyse your situation before you make any actions. Conclude and theorise before you begin to take a risk. Re-think –_

_No! Listen to me, Athrun. You know you love her, do something at least to make her know that, don't just be cautious and hold back, go and –_

_Listen, boy. Take a chance and you know what will happen. You will launch yourself into a-_

"GAHHHH!" Athrun screamed, the voices in his head overwhelming him. He held his head in his hands, and heard the voices pound his head in continuously, again and again. The world spun before him and he looked up, tried to make sense of what was happening.

_I want her…I want her so bad. I don't ever want to leave her side!_

_You know you want to be with her, you know you love her, you know you wanna start a relationship. I don't understnad what the heck you're waiting for... _

_You are cursing yourself to misery and misfortune, boy! Think about what you're doing. Stop and reason it out!_

Athrun looked up from the embrace of his hands upon his head, and saw Cagalli, holding him by the shoulders, looking at him through teary eyes. He would remember those hazel eyes; remember staring into them, and the silent messaages of love they were sending through the tears and sobs, the uncertainty in those eys as they thought about love.

"Athrun, you…do you think it's best if we just stay away from each other for a bit?" Cagalli asked, uncertain of the answer. "Do you…not want to be with me…?" Cagalli began to sob, punching him softly on the arm as she collapsed into him. Slowly, she backed away from him, looking at him, waiting for his answer. Uncertainly, he looked back at her, then looked down. Tears began to fall from his eyes.

"What the hell am I talking about…I'm in love with you, Cagalli!" Athrun sobbed, catching her in a firm embrace. His tears fell down onto the back of her uniform, and Cagalli began to cry, to holding Athrun in a hug as firm as his own. The two of them cried together, at the joy of being in love with the other.

* * *

Dearka left the building, checking his notes. He didn't look like the studious type, but Dearka loved debating, and currently his Law class was discussing court systems and civil actions. Apparently, their assessment was going to be a court case given to them from which they'd have to enact as a real case themselves. He had just gone outside for lunch, when he saw Athrun, Cagalli, Kira, Lacus… 

_Hey wait…Why is Cagalli with them, and who is that? Damn, wouldn't I like to get my hands on some of that…_

A brown-haired girl was carrying a ton of books, trying to squeeze through the library door. She struggled to open the door, then nearly tripped over as she lost her balance. Regaining her footing, she found all her books scattered on the floor.

"Oh my gosh…" the girl exclaimed. She got down on her knees, and began to gather her notes together again, muttering under her breath about how stupid she'd been.

"Here. Let me help you with that." Dearka appeared beside her suddenly gathering her books suddenly in a swift movement. As he watched her bend down again, he began to notice things.

_Oh damn, what a nice ass…Huge tits too…Oh damn, talk about those legs…Man, I would like to get my hands on this babe…_

Then the girl looked up at him. The innocence in her eyes startled him, and he found himself wondering why he was so concerned about her body, so gripping was her personality. Then she broke the eye contact.

"You…you were perving on me. Weren't you?" She turned again, her eyes in a piercing glare. She held his gaze, and Dearka found himself helpless underneath her stare. Wincing he turned away, trying to explain, but no words would come out. In the end, he realised he could only tell the truth.

"Yes. I was looking you up. I mean, come on, you're cute, so you can't expect guys to not look you up…" Dearka mumbled, trying to find some lame excuse to make it seem ok for him to lust after her. He looked up gain, expecting her to slap him or hit him, or scream at him. Instead, he found her chuckling, amused at his dilemma. He felt like asking what was funny, then stopped.

"Don't do it again, if you want to have a chance of hooking up with me." She poked her tongue out at him, then went back to gathering her books. Still looking away from her, from that frighteningly piercing glare, he opened the door for her so that she wouldn't have to it herself. A few moments later she came out, surprising Dearka, and looked directly at him, forcing him to look at her. This time, her face was playful, relaced, and grinning. Sticking her tongue out again, she nudged him in the ribs, indicating him to do something.

"I'm getting bored...Hmm...Hey, why don't you tell me about yourself? I still have no clue as to who you are," the girl said, nudging Dearka againto get his attention.

"Yeah, why don'cha, Dearka?" Lacus voice sang out singsong as she approached. Athrun and Kira were giggling like little kids while Cagalli looked a bit disgusted. Lacus appeared indifferent, but it was obvious that all of them knew he'd been perving on the brunette. "I see you met Miriallia!" Lacus continued, before giving the girl a hug. Cagalli responded likewise, before giving Dearka an evil stare.

"Oh…I see you know each other…" Dearka said, surprised. "It's a small world after all…" He watched as the girl, Miriallia began to talk with Lacus and Cagalli. Apparently she was holding a party of some sort at her party, and Dearka's perve was completely forgotten. Dearka wasn't paying attention. He was looking at her face now, the sharp chin, the perfectly straight hair, innocent, yet piercing green eyes…

_I feel...drawn...to her. I don't know why. It's not just that she's cute, or anything like that...it's..._

"You're falling for her, aren't you, Dearka?" Kira grinned at Dearka, playfully nudging him in the ribs. Dearka's reputation for the want of sex with good-looking girls and never falling in love with a girl had given him a reputation as a pimp and player of girl's emotions.

_Maybe I am…Maybe I am…_

_

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_**That was Chapter Six. Please R&R Thanks! D Laters!**_  
_


	7. Indecision

**Well...I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! FOR ALL THOSE WHO LOVE THIS STORY-(n if u r few n far between, that's alright...) I HAVE DONE YOU A GREAT DISSERVICE! SHOULD YOU WISH TO GET PISSED OFF AT ME YOU MAY WRITE THAT IN YOUR REVIEW! IM SO SORRRRRRRRRRRRRYYYYYYYYYY!**

**Anyway, I took my time, cause I've been on holiday, and am enjoying overseas. So I didn't manage to upload Chapter 7 beforehand, and I wrote it out afterward...Before realising I didn't like what I'd done so far. So I scrapped it, and made a new one. Sorry...**

**Well, enjoy this...hopefully...**

**

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** Chapter 7

Cagalli and Athrun leaned against a tree, Athrun's hand wrapped around Cagalli's waist. Coming out of class, both were too drained to endure the excitement and thrills of being with their group of friends. The two of them watched the proceedings of school life casually, not really paying much interest in it. Cagalli, closed her eyes, and rested her head on Athrun's shoulders. She was too exhausted, it seemed, and she wanted to catch a nap. Athrun stroked her blonde hair gently, listening to her breath softly, quiet, deep breaths flowing in and out.

_You're beautiful…_ he thought to himself, watching Cagalli sleep. Absentmindedly, Athrun saw Dearka cross to his locker and put his books away. _Strange…he looks more downcast than usual…I wonder what's wrong…_

Athrun returned his attention to Cagalli, who was still sleeping. Suddenly, she awoke, seemingly flustered by something. Athrun, concerned, asked, "What? Bad dream?"

"No…"

"Then…? What?"

"I…It was…" Cagalli murmured. Confused, Athrun gently prodded her again, trying to find the reason as to what had troubled Cagalli so much that it had her awake.

"What's wrong?"

"Well…I…I just had an erotic dream of you…and yeah…when I saw where it was going…I…yeah…" Cagalli murmured, letting out a nervous laugh as she began to turn red. Athrun looked at her in surprise, then burst out laughing, as Cagalli turned blushed more and more.

"Hahahaha…ahh…" Athrun grinned. Then, putting on his most charming voice, and making his face into the most rugged kind of look he could make at the time (which really screwed up his face) he asked in a manner that almost sounded seductive, "Did you really have an erotic dream of me?"

"Yes! Why? Don't you believe me?" Cagalli said, outraged, and then turned red. Again. "Are you trying to be…I dunno…sexy, or suggestive…or…I dunno…I mean, you don't know how sexy you look sometimes-oh crap. I can't believe I said that…"

Athrun laughed lightly at her comment, igniting Cagalli's anger, and she tried to punch his arm again. He twisted away, pulling a face, and Cagalli began to chase him around, trying to hit him. Athrun laughed as he watched Cagalli's futile efforts to hit him, eventually giving up. He knew better than to continue this kind of an argument with the fiery Goddess.

"Alright, alright. You win." Cagalli punched his arm, albeit softly, then stuck her tongue out at him before sitting down heavily onto the grass. The two of them were breathing hard. Cagalli rolled over to Athrun again, laughing at him as she hit his arm again. Athrun responded by kissing her on the forehead. Her expression was surprised, then she smiled. She could feel the loving feeling that the two of them shared washing over them. The two of them lay on the grass, when Cagalli spotted someone. Someone with…with…Dark brown hair? Kira? What was he doing this far out on the oval?

Athrun looked up and suddenly noticed someone else…pink hair…Lacus?

_What are Lacus and Kira doing here?_ Athrun looked around and found that they were on the edge of the school. He looked at Cagalli.

"Isn't that-"

"Wait a sec-"

* * *

Kira looked at Lacus, the surge of emotions that he felt for her throbbing in his heart. His mind raced, looking at the pink-haired girl, the blank look upon his face. He'd asked her to meet him here, and…for what? Now she was just looking at him blankly, as though inquiring why she'd been brought here in the first place. And he could feel the uncertainty bubbling in him, threatening to consume him. The uncertainty, the indecision in whether she really…well… _She doesn't, does she…I'm just going for a lost cause…I…_

_I still love her! Doesn't that count…Doesn't it? Doesn't…it?_

Kira looked at her again. It looked to him as if her expression had changed…had changed to a look of anticipation. What was she waiting for? He could feel a sudden excitement radiating from her. Where was all this energy coming from…and more importantly why was it being generated?

_I have to ask her…NOW!_

Kira looked at Lacus, resolve building in his heart. Slowly, he began, his voice stiff, nervous, but slowly becoming firmer, clearer, stronger. "Lacus…Lacus, we've been friends for a while now…Ever since Athrun introduced us at that party…"

"I remember. It was…a really good night. I enjoyed your company." Lacus said simply, her facing breaking into a soft smile. Her head tilted slightly, dreamily recalling something, before looking back at Kira.

_That smile…_

As Lacus had talked, Kira's heart had begun to free itself from the anxiety in his heart. Slowly, the painful indecision was replaced by feeling of…something he couldn't decide, couldn't put his finger on. But he knew he'd have to take this one chance. He knew what he felt, he had to take this chance to be happy, to be with that one person he knew he'd love for the rest of his life.

"Lacus, umm…" Kira began. His voice was suddenly shaky again. With legs that felt like jelly, he tried to straighten up, and nearly fell over with how unsteady he felt. Stumbling slightly, he tried to regain his composure. He looked at Lacus again, and the memory of the smiles they'd shared, the happiness between the two of them, prompting him to begin again.

"Lacus, would you…would you…" And then, in that instance, Kira saw her look at him. Her eyes betrayed her emotions, a fear and bitterness in her eyes that Kira couldn't understand. Wasn't he trying to make himself happy? Was it hurting her that he wanted to ask this one question? Was his happiness hurting her? In that instance Kira lost his nerve. He lost the will to continue onward, to reach his happiness, his goal. He knew in that one moment that he couldn't do it. He couldn't do it if it would hurt her.

"Would you check my science assignment?"

"Kira?" Lacus asked. She seemed…puzzled…shocked by something. Something was glistening in her eye, but she wiped it away. Kira's mind was too numb to register the fact that she was crying, or even wait for her to reply to his question as he began to walk away. He knew that he would never give her happiness. Someone else would, not him. No. Wasn't his place. He would never be-

"Kira." Lacus voice cut through his thoughts like knives slice through butter. Her eyes glistened with tears as she looked at him. She seemed hurt, sad, and bitterer than before. Had he hurt her? How? What did she want?

"Kira, if you want to ask me something…important…please ask. Don't keep me waiting…" Lacus murmured to him in a barely audible voice. Unlike the other times when he'd heard the beautiful songstress, the voice he heard now was choked with emotions that Kira couldn't comprehend. Slowly, he steeled himself, and remembered why he would ask this. It was for his happiness…No…

I can't bear to see her like this! It's hurting me just to see her so unhappy. No, I'll ask her this to make her happy. This is for her happiness.

"Lacus…would…would you…" Kira's voice broke as his emotions overwhelmed him.

* * *

Athrun waited in anticipation, hoping that Kira could get the words out of his mouth. He looked at Cagalli. Would Kira have the same kind of relationship with Lacus that he and Cagalli had? He hoped so… 

_Bloody fool! Get the words outta your mouth!_

_

* * *

_ Cagalli watched her brother impatiently. He sure was taking his time…Goddamn... She held Athrun on impulse, reminding herself of the bond that two now shared. She could understand Lacus' uncertainty…But her brother was quite the coward if he took this long just to ask her out…

_Bloody fool! Get the words outta your mouth!_

_

* * *

_ "Would you go out with me?" Kira blurted out.

* * *

"Finally…" Athrun and Cagalli murmured simultaneously.

* * *

"Of course." Lacus said, startling the chocolate-haired boy. She lifted her head, to reveal her tear-soaked face. "Why did you take so long to ask?" And with that, she lunged for Kira's shirt, knocking him to the ground as she suddenly gripped him in a bear-like embrace. 

"Kira, I love you…Why didn't you ask me this earlier? I've been waiting on you to ask me out for so long!" Lacus murmured quietly, tears trickling down her face as she held Kira. Kira's face showed the evident surprise that was growing on his face, realising how much of a fool he'd been, how much he'd hurt her.

"It's alright now Lacus…it's alright now…" he murmured, holding her closer to him. He could feel his own tears falling down his cheeks, soaking the girl's hair. Closing his eyes, he tried to erase the pain he'd caused the both of them, and kissed her on the forehead, softly, brushing his lips against her smooth skin. She looked up again, and then pointed at…

Two cheering people could be seen standing next to a tree close to where they'd been a moment before. The two people seemed happy…they were cheering, after all…cheering for…

"YAY! Go Lacus! Go Lacus! He finally asked you out!" Cagalli yelled with glee at the new couple. "Bro, you take WAAAYYY too long to ask someone out!" Athrun waved merrily. Kira looked left to right, trying to comprehend what was happening. He looked at Athrun, and it dawned on him. They'd been hiding, listening to him "pop the question". And he'd taken Lacus all the way out here to ask her IN PRIVATE!

"Why you-" he said, then laughed. He was lucky to have good friends that would support him like this. He waited for the two of them to come over, when he noticed something peculiar. Athrun was holding Cagalli's hand…and Cagalli had…Oh God…

"Athrun…since when do you kiss my sister, and Cagalli since when do you blush like a little girl when you were kissed instead of trying to slap the person who kissed you?" Kira said, his brotherly instincts kicking in. Lacus looked at him surprised, then laughed.

"Kira, Athrun and Cagalli are boyfriend and girlfriend…didn't you know?" Lacus said. "Shameful Kira…not up to date...I can't accept that" Lacus said mockingly. Kira turned red…very red. His sister was going out with his best friend! Goddamn…

Cagalli pouted at Kira, then slapped him lightly across the head. Athrun watched, amused, as Kira tried to work out why he'd been slapped, while Cagalli tried to "knock some more sense" (as she admitted later) into Kira. Kira hastily tried to dodge his sister's playful slaps, and ended up on his butt, as he was off-balanced to try and dodge one of Cagalli's slaps.

"Since you're on the floor now, we all might as well sit down…" Athrun commented, amused. Cagalli decided to halt her assault on Kira, and plonked down next to Athrun, who had, like Lacus, civilly sat down, crossing their legs as they did so.

"Well…"

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**Well this chapter was weird to write...It felt a bit forced. So I need your feedback about it, please, please, PLEASE! I need feedback like plants need sunlight, currently. R&R and hope for more, there's more coming...I think.**


	8. Diaries and Dramas of a Goddess

**Well, hello all again! I'm back...with another corny chapter for you! Or not so corny...Kill me in the reviews afterward...**

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Chapter 8 (diary entry has ,sm style writing because it's a journal...) 

_(four months later…)_

_Dear Diary,_

_Wow…the last few months have been…wonderful. It's only been four months since Athrun and me got together, and Lacus and Kira started going out. Boy, those two started going strong after the first date. Funny, all of us ended up having group dates together, but maybe it's more comfortable. I feel that way, at least._

_Lacus was freaking during the exam period, she was very worried about her studies, and how to juggle them with her relationship with Kira. Athrun seemed to have the same problem as Lacus, and all of us were trying to juggle study and relationships. The compromise? We all did study together. God, that was funny…Athrun trying to give Kira a lecture on physics and watching as Kira ended up trying to hit Athrun with all of his text books because he didn't understand was really funny…_

_Speaking of Kira, Lacus told me how her first date with him went. It started off with a quiet day out in the city, and ended that way. Though, they did take their time, they started at 10 in the morning, and finished at around 10 at night! But then again, the two of them seem made for one another. Anyway, there was a town fair at the city square today, so Kira asked Lacus to come along with him, as he always went there out of family traditions (mom's side, not dad's…and Athrun took me there a few days later, when it was quieter…that was fantastic! Besides spewing after the roller coaster, at least Athrun took me to a nice restaurant for dinner)._

_Kira and her were sharing the candyfloss, when they actually started licking one another thinking that they were licking candyfloss! It sounds disgusting, but the two of them found it quite hilarious. After cleaning up, they went on a roller-coaster ride. Lacus must have a nerve of steel-she didn't even spew or feel any disorientation. She just sat there calmly, she says, and Kira confirms this. I felt really bad after that…and as I said earlier, I spewed…_

_Then Lacus and Kira went on the bumper cars. Kira must be a really good bumper car driver, because he was driving so well that he knocked other drivers outta their cars! Lacus, who is a very "do good" person, was urging him to slow down. Of course, he refused blatantly, said Lacus._

"_If I'm gonna make sure no-one will hit us, and keep you safe from falling out, I'll need to drive at this kinda speed…I mean, I've gotta make sure you're safe, and easiest way is to make sure no-one rams us, hey?" Apparently, that's what my twin brother said. Oh, so corny! And oh so sweet, according to Lacus…Apparently she has a thing for these melodramatic philosophies…anyways…_

_Afterwards, they apparently did "some random stuff" which Lacus wouldn't talk about (I need to get into her journal soon lol) but Kira ended the date in an apparently stylish way-a visit to one of the most expensive restaurants in town- the "Jin Se Diner" (apparently it means the golden snake or something…weird name…). It's really, really, REALLY expensive (like OMG $34 per dish) but really really REALLY good Chinese food!_

_The two of them were eating, and then, Lacus says, when Kira flicks his food at her with his spoon. When Lacus asks why, he flicks something else, and then, Lacus recounted, she shoved her rice bowl in his face! After that they started a massive food fight, and ended up getting thrown out of the restaurant! OMG, I was laughing my head off when I heard about that! Lacus starting a food fight is unimaginable._

_Speaking of which, Dearka started…like…fraternising with Milly (Miriallia). Like, one day, when all of us are sitting together (that means usually, just Athrun, me, Kira, Lacus n Milly) he comes up, and asks whether he can sit with us. And then he sits next to Milly and starts chatting with her for the rest of lunch break! I think he has a thing for her or something…_

_Anyway, the two of them have spending more and more time together, up until recently. Milly seems to be avoiding Dearka, she told me that she feels…uncomfortable around him…and she has ANOTHER suitor-u go girl! Apparently, one of the prefects-Tolle or something…has taken an interest in her. We found a bouquet of roses from him taped to her locker…not exactly elegant, in my opinion, but…yeah. Poor Milly…she's gotta choose between two guys really nice guts…and not bad lookers, if I may say so myself…(Athrun will kill me if he reads this…)_

_We're having our concerts soon…Each night, for three days, one group will host their concert for an audience…But, our group's is one the dance night! So the teacher says we're playing for the dance! That's so unfair! Why do we have to play in front of a hundred people, and the other people don't have to? Well, nothing that we can do about it now, but just wait and get ready…_

_Oh, the phone's ringing! I gtg…_

_Bb_

_Love Caga!_

Cagalli put down her pen, and quickly answered the phone, wondering who would call her this late at night…

"Hello? Cagalli?" Athrun's voice crackled over the telephone. Cagalli smiled, listening to the boy's smooth, matured tone. She recalled the blue hair, sharp face, and a body that was growing ever more toned and well-built by the day…most girls were drooling over him, but she was…well…she didn't really like to think about how deep her relationship with Athrun was, suffice to say, she knew him well, not just as the studious, yet handsome stud that he was.

"Hey Athrun! I was just writing in my journal…Whydcha call?" Cagalli asked, cheerfully. She didn't notice the slightly solemn tone of Athrun's voice, nor the heavier than normal breathing…

* * *

Athrun thought to himself silently _Is this what I really want? Do I want to do this?_ Athrun stared at his hands, asking why God made him urge himself to do this horrible act. The thought hadn't crossed his mind until recently, but… 

_It will be best for both of us. Trust me._ Again, that same, cold, harsh voice inside him told his mind. Athrun didn't know who that voice belonged to, why it always forced him to do things against his will, but he knew better than to defy it-it tormented him mentally when he refused to listen to it. He couldn't resist that voice, or its wants or requests.

"Cagalli, have you ever been happier when you were around other people besides me?" Athrun asked shakily. His brain was on override as he remembered all the good memories that he and Cagalli had shared together in the last four months.

_"Gahh!" Cagalli yelled as Athrun threw a snowball at her. It had hit her full in the face, as the blue-haired boy expected. He grinned, then threw another. The snow-packed ball crumbled as it made contact with her jacket. Cagalli threw a snowball back at Athrun, missing, but having the satisfaction of it skimming his hair and causing him to suddenly trip over._

_Exhausted, Cagalli flopped down next to her boyfriend. She lay down, and afterward, Athrun, who had quite recovered from landing on his behind, lay down beside her. He took her hand and the two of them looked up at the winter sky. Snow fell to the ground in a sparkling heap, showering the two lovers with magical white dust._

_It was around Christmas time, and Athrun and Cagalli had chosen this time to have an energetic snowball fight. Now, the two lay together in the snow, both too tired to throw more snow at each other, much less talk. Instead they just lay there, enjoying the other's presence, and the sense of security that they mutually felt when they were around each other._

_Knowing what the other was thinking, both of them decided to go for a walk. Holding hands they walked past the Christmas festivities, the dancing couples, the snow-covered houses. In silence, the two of them thought about the times they'd shared so far._

"_I don't have a present…" Cagalli said to Athrun quietly. "I'm sorry…"_

"_Don't worry about it." Athrun said, reassuring her with a smile. The two of them continued walking. Lacus and Kira had invited them over for Christmas dinner, and Athrun made it a point to go early. Cagalli had decided to follow in his stead, after all, she'd been late to too many functions, she decided._

"_But, I have to keep to my promise. I said I'd get you a present!" Cagalli said, looking away guiltily. She said this as they continued to walk, when Athrun noticed something on one of the trees that had been decorated in Christmas festivities._

"_Don't worry-mistletoe!" Athrun said suddenly, and swiftly landed a full blown kiss on Cagalli's lips. At first she was surprised. She and Athrun hadn't fully kissed like this before! And then she realised that she wasn't struggling…she was actually enjoying it! The two lovers didn't realise they were actually outside Lacus' house. As she came out, she spied the couple kissing under the mistletoe. Surprised she began to walk over to them, a thousand reprimands forming in her head._

"_There's my Christmas present…" Athrun said to a still-blushing Cagalli._

"'_You kiss by th'book.'" Cagalli offered the quote surprising Athrun, but in no time at all-_

"_Is there one?" he said. He must've been making a new comeback each day._

"_Mistletoe…" she said mischievously, before pushing the blue-haired boy against the Christmas tree and giving him another mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Her tongue poked into his mouth, and she surprised herself with the strange, warm, and tingly feeling she began to feel…_

"_Athrun! Cagalli! Tsk tsk tsk…What ARE you doing!" Lacus said, looking at the two of them in annoyance, and amusement. She watched the two of them pull apart, hair slightly askew, cheeks flushed. She looked at her two friends, looking like two kids caught with their hands in a candy jar, and the thousand reprimands flew out of her head._

"_Oh, just c'mon in…" she murmured, and all three of them went back inside to their warm Christmas dinner._

_

* * *

_

"Cagalli answered his question. "No Athrun…I've never been happier with anyone, ever since I met you…why?" Cagalli sounded worried now. Why would he ask this?

* * *

"Cagalli…I think…maybe we should spend some time away from each other…just to make sure that there isn't anyone else out there for us…" Athrun's voice cracked with emotion. He didn't want to do this, but he knew…at least he thought it was right…

* * *

Cagalli was silent for a while. She didn't move, didn't speak, as her mind took the time it needed to digest what he'd said. 

"Why…why, Athrun?" Cagalli asked, shocked. Her mind was numb, her body couldn't move. She couldn't control the tears that had begun to drip down from her face.

"Why do you wanna…break up?" she sobbed. Crying, she yelled "WHY! YOU FUCKING BASTARD, WHY!"

"Cagalli, I-"

"DON'T WANNA HEAR IT!" She screamed at him, and slammed the phone down, crying. Alone, she walked stiffly to her bed and lay down, and cried in sobs of agony.

* * *

Athrun heard her hang up. Slowly, he shook his head, and finished the sentence.

"Cagalli…I love you." And then the tears came…

* * *

**Are you really pissed with me? OK! GOOD! Don't worry, this is and AxC, KxL, somehow, YxS and DxM, but this is where all the FUN begins! Muahahaha ok I'll stop...As I said, R&R and crucify me there...  
**


	9. Dsicovering Despair and Yzak's Memories

**Yes...I do take my time to update, especially since school just started. I'm being lazy currently, but don't fret-my work will improve, and I swear I'm going to pay more attention in English! Well, that was off-topic...so YEAAAH...(and everyone runs away...) Well, I have updated, and everything is just...peachy...muahahahaha!

* * *

**  
Chapter 9

**On the same night that Athrun rings Cagalli to deliver to her his shocking ultimatum…**

"Kira?" Flay asked, puzzled by her English text. It was Sophocles Antigone and she was having trouble interpreting it.

"Yeah?"

"What does it mean by 'Lay my pride bare to the blows of ruin?'" Flay asked quite dumbly. Really, she hadn't asked Kira, the best tutor in the arts areas to come here to help her with studies. Oh no, there was an ulterior motive here, one far more sinister than just tutoring…

_Today, Lacus, I will have my sweet revenge on you…_Flay though mirthlessly, then returned her attention to Kira talking. Listening to him explain Sophocles was starting to become boring. Maybe she should move to Phase Two of her plan…

_Besides, the time is right. I can pull it off…perfectly…_Flay smiled innocently at Kira, then returned to annotating her book. Slowly, she began to move her hand up Kira's thing, rubbing it in a caressing motion. Kira, slightly unnerved, tried to ignore her repeated attempts to come onto him. Flay pretended she was getting aroused. No she didn't pretend. She _was _getting aroused!

Suddenly, the red-head girl made her move. Swiftly, she moved her arm to rest on Kira's shoulder, and circling him, pushed him onto down, pinning him on the couch they'd been sitting on. Quickly, she pushed her lips down onto Kira's, and felt the older boy struggle underneath her. Pressing further still, she waited for him to stop struggling, and when he did, she pulled away a bit, putting a mischievous glint into her eyes.

"Come on Kira…" she murmured seductively, her bare thighs rubbing against his legs. "You know you want it…we could, just quickly, couldn't we?" Again, the slight, but fading struggles. Again she pressed her petite frame onto his sinewy body. She could feel him getting aroused, and she whispered into his ear. Words of seduction, sex and lust flowed from her mouth, and the boy stopped struggling, enraptured by the temptress' words of paradise. Slowly, she stood up, taking her time, and began to undress. Off went the pink shirt, the grey miniskirt, until she had only her underwear on. Climbing back onto the motionless boy, who was staring at her, eyes wide, she moved her hand closer to the hemline of his jeans. Slowly, she unbuckled his belt, let it slide from her grasp onto the floor. And then she let, gradually, slipped her fingers under the waist of his jeans, and began to pull them off…

Kira made no movements, his beating heart holding him in place. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run away, but he couldn't tear himself away from Flay's naked body. Ever so slowly, she began to unclasp her bra-

-and the door opened, to reveal a beaming Lacus, who, catching sight of Kira on the floor, with Flay on top of him, both half-naked, jumped to the immediate conclusion : Kira was going to have sex with Flay. He was having an affair. Blanching, she blinked, as though trying to imagine what she'd seen was an illusion, a hallucination in her mind. But it wasn't.

"Kira! How…how _could_ you?" Her voice broke as she cried out at him. An overflowing fountain of sadness replaced the sudden emptiness in her heart. Sobbing, she ran from the doorway and out into the cold night. Kira looked from Flay to the now empty doorway where Lacus had stood.

"You _bitch…_" Kira swore underneath his breath. His stinging words were totally different from the calm, collected, and genuinely positive young boy at school. He glared at Flay, anger coursing through his veins, and spat at her. "FUCK YOU, YOU WHORE! FREGGING GET OUTTA MY LIFE!" In an instance, he slapped her, and, hurriedly getting dressed, ran out of the house, desperately trying to find Lacus.

Flay looked at the empty doorway Lacus had stood at, the doorway Kira had just run out of. Smiling to herself, she realised-she'd probably have ruined the relationship between that bitch Lacus and Kira. And the…then she would have Kira all for herself. Smiling insanely, cruel, lustful thoughts running through her mind, she dressed, and began to read her Sophocles book again.

Little did she know-the whole scene had been filmed.

* * *

Yzak looked at his introductory Calculus, annoyed, and unable to discern the answer from what notes he had made. At this point, Yzak's rage had caused him to pull his hair out in frustration, and he picked up the notes and re-read them, before chucking them onto the desk, thoroughly annoyed. He kicked his chair, and screamed "GOD! WHY DO YOU HATE YOUR OH-SO-FAITHFUL-YET-OH-SO-ANGRY SUBJECT? WHY?" Cursing everything he could think of at that moment in time, a long line of colourful swearing left his mouth. 

Trying to calm himself, he took a deep breath. Breath in…breathe out. Breathe in…breathe out. Finding his inner peace…was hard. "Dammit! Why can't I complete this stupid-"

"Yzak? Someone's on the phone. Asks for you. His name is…I'm sorry, what's your name? Nicol…it's Nicol!" Yzak's mother, Ezaria called out. Heading downstairs, Yzak smiled to himself inwardly. Nicol was far better in Calculus than he was, so he could expect answers from his…friend…

"Nicol! How are you?" Yzak said, putting on a false, sickly sweet voice. He would befuddle and sweet talk the answers out of his friend, who, in his opinion, was just another naïve boy in this world. "Why did you call?"

"Hi Yzak! I'm good thanks! Me and my parents are coming on a camping trip, as I told your mother earlier, and we invited all of your family to come along. Oh, and Athrun and Kira are coming as well! They aren't bringing any family though…I'm going to ring Dearka afterwards." Nicol said in one long blurt. He seemed to be breathing heavily after saying so much, so Yzak let him catch his breath while he contemplated what he'd heard.

A camping trip? All the guys? Fun? Hmm…all they were missing was beer. Of course, with a temper like his, that might not be wise, but so? Grinning, he responded jubilantly "I'm in. Besides the boys, who else is coming?"

"You might not believe it, but my cousin Shiho has come back from Russia! You know? Shiho Hahnenfuss?" Nicol asked, seeming to somehow _forget_ a little gathering party at a fateful Christmas between the Joules and the Amalfis…

_4 years ago_

A thirteen-year old silver haired boy stood at a window of the Amalfi house, looking out at the snow falling placidly down from a cloudy sky. Mistletoe hung above every doorway, and Yzak had made a point not to walk underneath the doorways with a girl. He smiled, taking a sip from the cup of tea he was holding in his hand. Everything looked so beautiful from this window, and he was actually enjoying himself. Maybe tonight would be a good night…

Turning from the window, he noticed a brunette sitting in an armchair by the fire. Most of the family members of both families-the Joules and the Amalfis- were sitting in the family room, which was bigger than the living room, and it too had a fireplace. Nicol really was a lucky guy, to have such a nice house…

He looked at the girl again-sharp face, neatly cut brown hair, grey eyes that were staring away into the fire. _Pah…stupid woman_ Yzak thought. Smiling to himself, he looked out the window, again looking for something else to grab his attention. It came from an unexpected source…

* * *

**I swear, this memory will be continued, but not right now. No next chapter will be something else...But now, comes 500 tonnes of angst to cop my readers in the face! Oh, the AGONY! HAHAHAHA! ** **Now, I promise, you may find out who that girl is. I think you already know, but yeah...now, tell me what you thought! R&R! Au Revoir! And I'm sorry it's short...  
**


	10. And the plot thickens

**Chapter 10-Intrusion of a pink-haired singer…**

Everyone was quite…unfriendly the next day. Nicol Amalfi had rang up the boys the night inviting them to the camping trip, to find out

1)Athrun had dumped his girl.

2)Kira had been dumped by Lacus

3)Dearka had unexpectedly been beaten to Miriallia by Tolle-he'd asked her out, and she'd said yes…

As a result, three forlorn, and two rather bored males sat at a table eating their lunch. One happy one sat in the midst of one concerned female, two very pissed goddesses and…one pink-haired imitation singer. Obviously she wasn't welcome-everyone was taking little looks at her as though she was filthy, but she was obviously there for something…

Of course, it really was just normal. Everyone got pissed sometime or another…that was natural. The fact that it was THE. MOST. POPULAR. PEOPLE. IN. THE. SCHOOL. Made no difference.

"I'm glad you all decided to come for the camping trip!" Nicol said in a strained effort to start up conversation, and when he failed, they went back to their forlorn silence.

Athrun found a very real need to go to the toilet and relieve himself. He stood up and walked toward the lavatory, recounting what had happened. He and Kira had wallowed in each other's misery over their losses, and then nothing…

He'd just stepped out from the gent's when that soft voice came to him…

"Athrun? Athrun Zala? Could we talk?" The girl addressing him looked sad. Like him. Like Kira. Like everyone. _God, it's infectious…_

She had pink hair like Lacus, and looked nearly the same, the same beaming smile and soft voice. _That is, if she'd been smiling,_ Athrun imagined.

"Uhh…what's your name again?" Athrun asked. _I've seen way too many girls in my lifetime…I dunno who's who…_

"Meer. Meer Campbell." She looked right, then left, a hunted look crossing her face, then murmured in a low voice, "I need to ask you something…" Standing on tiptoe, she whispered something into his ear. They stood there for a minute, she whispering, him listening. Athrun's eyes widened in surprise after a while, and on an impulse, he said-

"Sure, why not." He was going to do this. He would not ruin it-he didn't intend to ruin too many things in his life.

* * *

"How's life? Heard you broke up. Too bad. I liked Cagalli a lot…" Violet was on MSN chatting. Again. Every day of her life was devoted to the thing, just like every kid in her school. Even the 5 year olds…w_hat is the world coming to?_

"Yeah. Shit life." Athrun murmured. His sister ignored the language; she used it all the time herself.

"Hey, I gotta date tonight…think you could help me out?" Athrun asked. Violet turned around, surprised.

"A date? Already? Bro, you're that popular?" Athrun permitted himself a slight chuckle through his misery. _Even at this time, Vi's still able to ask questions like this…_

"It's a bit different…I need to explain something to you…" And so brother and sister congregated for a few minutes, talking quietly, while sister's expression ranged from surprised, to contemplative, to downright amazed at brother's storytelling. Or rather, recounting…

"You've got my help…I'll tell her right now, okay?" Violet told her brother, and then went off to make a phone call…

* * *

To Cagalli. Who at that moment was finding her life quite miserable. _My life sucks. Everyone around me sucks. I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM!_

Imagine her surprise when a little girl suddenly rings up and says "Hello, Cagalli?"

"Violet? Why're you calling me? You know I just broke up with your brother?" Cagalli murmured dully.

"I've got something to tell you…" Cagalli was about to cut her off and slam the phone down, when Violet recounted the day's events. Cagalli, in her shock, reacted in a similar fashion to the way Violet had…

"Can you help us?"

Cagalli thought about it. Long, hard, annoying decisions. _The things I hate the most in my life. So, what to do? If I take one choice, I'll be helping someone, and if I don't I'll be making someone sad. That's they way I see it…might as well make someone happy for once._

"Sure thing. I'll give him a ring…"

And so the plot thickened…

* * *

**Alright. Short chappie...sorry! But I'm getting there, the storyline is in my head, and it's really late, and I thought that I might write this weirdly just to keep people's interest and then write well NEXT Chapter so you can find out what I actually meant...D **


	11. Hell hath no pain like love's denial

**The Date-Part 1**

Athrun had been waiting outside the posh diner for a while now. Meer was nowhere in sight…_the three of them aren't in sight, actually…_ Disregarding what he considered as irrelevant thoughts, Athrun wondered again why he'd accepted the "date".

It had been on an impulse. _An impulse. What a wonderful thing you acted upon. You just went blindly plunging into your utterly horrific death and end of dignity. Your emotions took control of you and look where you ended up-_

_Screw it. I like this plan. Bit of fun and loving never hurt no-one._

Re-checking his watch, Athrun strode backwards and forwards, impatient for his "date" to start. And then, when no-one would have expected…

Cagalli and Yunna suddenly were walking toward him, toward the diner he was going to be having his "date" in. For a brief moment, Cagalli's eyes locked with his. Part business, part personal, part hatred, part love, part…_part Cagalli. That's what it is. It's her, everything she feels, I can see it. Even then. The briefest of glances…_

Faking surprise, Athrun walked over to the "happy couple". "Oh my God, I didn't know you two were courting each other! Since how long?" Athrun maintained a beaming smile and adopted Yunna's rather posh manner of speech. _Pretty stupid way to speak, mind…_

"Cagalli asked me out! I can't believe it! Oh my God, I love you Honey!" Yunna's arms wrapped around Cagalli's lithe figure, and she managed a weak smile while glaring at Athrun with a look that said "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Why are you here, Athrun?" Cagalli asked meekly, trying to hide her near obvious discomfort at being hugged by Yunna. _Who would ever want to be hugged by a guy like him? _"Do _you_ have a _date_?"

"Why yes, of course I do…as a matter-of-fact, she should be arriving here any minute…"

* * *

Meer looked out the window of her cab as the driver turned the clumsy vehicle down another alley. She hummed a weird, unnamed tune to herself, now and again looking at her dress, wondering how her hair was, whether or not _he _would be impressed.

_I asked for so many people's help…I don't even know if he will appreciate what I've done, or how I look tonight…I can only hope that…I've got this one chance, that maybe he'll think I'm beautiful…_

Meer thoughtfully considered everything that had happened today. A few weeks before, she was sulking, crying her head off, and now here she was, going out with Athrun Zala, an acknowledged "hunk" of the school. She remembered what the other girls had said.

_"He's ripped…oh my God, I'd love to…" the little Year 8 girl squealed, blushing._

"_I know how you feel…" murmured a Year 9. "Hey, look at this-they smuggled it out of the change rooms…I mean, how HOT do you get?"_

_Meer took an innocent glance, and her eyes were glued to the small picture in the girl's hand. Even if he was a year older than her, he was the desire of EVERY girl. He was sexy, elegant, the epitome of the perfect man._

_That was when she realised…what she should be doing with him._

Snatches of painful memories caught up in Meer's mind. She tried to turn them aside, and focus on the task at hand, but they inundated her mind, until the dams holding back the tide of memories burst asunder, and she could see the painful forget-me-nots rush back into view.

_"You'll always be…my friend." he said._

"_What? But…why? I love you…why can I only be your friend? Am I not special enough to be anything more?" Meer replied, shocked._

"_You're…you're not what I wanted. I wanted someone hot, someone sexy, someone who I would look good with…I'm sorry…" he murmured. And then, he hung up on her…_

Another memory popped into her head.

_"Let me die. Let me die. Let me die." The knife was poised above her heart._

"_Let me live. I don't want to die." The knife trembled, and she considered throwing it away._

"_I have nothing to live for. I don't want to live any longer." The knife slowly made it's way to her throat._

_"I love him. I still love him. I'll make him love me." The knife dropped to the ground, clattered._

_A near suicide._ Meer thought, disgusted at her own weakness. _How can I come through for him and prove I'm someone worthy if I crumble so easily?_

"Ma'am? I don't mind you sitting in my cab for a li'l longer, but I gotta another pass'n'gr I gotta pick up. So, if you don't mind, would ya pay me and get outta here?"

Hurriedly, she payed the man the due amount, hr thoughts disorganised from him saying something. She looked at the posh diner, straightened her hair, noticed Athrun was already inside, and walked in.

* * *

"…and of course you know that my father…" Yunna's voice trailed off. He was staring at the entrance to the diner, and lo and behold-there be a girl standing at the entrance looking for her date. Meer Campbell. Her straight black hair had a glow to it, and a tight white dress clung to her figure, seemingly innocent enough, but emphasising the girl's slim body and rather large bust. Yunna's jaw dropped-literally. In fact, it resulted in he having a jaw cramp, and it took him five minutes to get over the "excruciating pain".

Athrun walked over, just as surprised himself. _With the pink dye in her hair washed out, and the school uniform replaced by my dress…wow…_

"You look…uhh…I mean…you look absolutely stunning tonight…" Athrun gaped, trying to properly say what he thought. _This girl is sure damn committed…_

"Do you think it'll work?" she asked timidly, glancing around in Cagalli's direction.

"I hope so…good luck." He smiled at her, and for once, what she returned wasn't a cheesy grin that she usually gave to most people-it was a true smile, and her face radiated with that kind of happy inner energy that seemed to have disappeared from most people.

* * *

Cagalli watched Athrun and Meer for a minute. Then, noticing that they were done, Cagalli turned to Yunna and said "I'm going outside to get a bit of air; this place is a bit stuffy. You don't mind dear?" Yunna, whose jaw was still in "excruciating pain" managed a "Yeaarsgh dearrr…"

_Good luck, Meer._

_

* * *

_

Meer tentatively approached Yunna's table. Athrun had said he was going to wait outside for her. The Seylan was trying to deal with his jaw, which he appeared to be having some trouble with. Tenderly stroking his chin, she eased the pain, until the jaw was no longer cramped and Yunna could speak normally again. _It's been so long…I've felt so lonely…_

"You look…I don't know what to say, Meer, but I think that you look beautiful tonight…" Yunna murmured quietly. He'd ordered a dinner for two, and the two of them were eating their posh meal like a pair of posh people who were there for a posh occasion. Obviously the latter wasn't true, but the other parts were definitely confirmed. _I wonder-am I the only one who knows of our secret watchers? I wonder what they're doing right now?_

_

* * *

_

Outside, Cagalli and Athrun munched silently on fish and chips. Athrun suddenly grabbed Cagalli's hand. Instead of trying to force her way out of it, she didn't try to resist, surprising both of them.

"I still love you, you know?" Athrun asked.

"I know. I think I sorta understand why you told me to break it off…you didn't feel ready yet, did you?"

Athrun shook his head. Cagalli turned her big, amber eyes on him.

"Are you ready yet?"

Another shake of head. And then silence.

* * *

"Yunna…" Meer said suddenly, her shaky tone catching his attention. He and Meer had been friends since they'd been little kids, and that friendship had blossomed into a love of sorts. _But…he refuses to admit it…_

"I still…I still love you, Yunna." Meer's voice trembled as she admitted her feelings a second time to the boy that had left her heartbroken and sad. _But I still love him. I still do. No matter what he says._

Yunna looked up at her, face disarrayed and a mixture of surprise and pleasure in his face. But he tried to cover it up, and his face hardened again as he tried to deny his feelings. "I can't stay with you Meer. I need a girl who is good looking, who is beautiful-"

"Didn't you say I was beautiful?" Meer asked, trembling. _Oh please, God, not again…not again…_

"Meer, I got asked out by a Goddess, and you expect me to deny her?" Yunna's voice tried to employ a pleading tone, and Meer finally broke. She began to sob uncontrollably.

"I did everything I could to show you I loved you! I dressed as a Goddess; I tried to sing as well as one, all so I could impress you because I loved you. And every time I did, you just pushed me further and further away. Why, Yunna? Why?" Meer sobbed again.

Yunna opened his mouth, but he couldn't' say anything. Ashamed, he looked down at his shoes, trying to think up some kind of excuse. But he couldn't.

_Damn him. Damn all men._

And with that, Meer ran out of the posh diner, skirt askew, tears staining her face. And the onlookers watched in horror. What could have gone wrong?

"Cagalli…follow her. Tell me if something happens…" Athrun murmured to Cagalli. The blonde-haired girl nodded, and ran after Meer.

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**Oh my God...one day to write this whole chappie! I feel so proude...but again, I'm not sure how well written it was so I want a lot of feedback on this one, plllleaaase? I hoep it clarified the issues in chapter 10 for you guys. And, one more thing! Can everyone who reads this go to my profile and review the songfic "the One for me"? 'Cause it's really good, apparently, but it has only ONE review! Do you know how sad I am? ( so yeah...DiRTy HarrY signing off!  
**


	12. Onward! Towards the Climatic Endsorta

**Hello all! Oh my...my writing is being praised! Now...if it gets a review by someone like Miriae or preiodic-prose, or Capricorn-Pair, I will be VERY happy! D But onto business-I hope you're happy, the chapters are coming a bit faster, and may start being more consistent. MAY. Not will. Sorry, but it might take awhile...but anyway, just read this chappie, and RnR I need some reviews...**

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**The Date-Part 2: Onward! To the climatic end!**

"Why? Why do you hate me?" In Meer's mind, there were the only two great emotions, love and hate, and Yunna didn't love her, he hated her.

"Why do you have to hate me?" Meer choked on her tears, sobs wracking her small body. "Am I not your friend? Am I not beautiful enough for you? Please, tell me…"

She was back in her own house. Her hair was askew, her face stained with tears leaving lines through her make up and spoiling the eyeliner she'd put on. In front of her, there was a photo frame with a picture in it. It'd been from the Year 7 camp that Yunna and her had went on.

_"I'm cold…" Meer murmured, trying to wrap herself up in her parka, but it did nothing to avail the chill that was biting at her. At night, the bush wasn't where you wanted to be, considering how cold it was._

_Slowly, she rose out of her bed, and donned another jacket in an effort to keep out the cold. Hugging herself, she exited her room, and walked toward the room Yunna was in._

"_Hello? Yunna? Are you there?" Yunna, who'd been sleeping in a room with a few other boys, was snoring his head off. Meer tiptoed in, making sure she didn' wake anyone despite how cold she was, and quietly woke him._

"_Meer, darling? Why are you awake?" Yunna said quite audibly. Almost immediately, he covered his mouth, as one of the boy's grunted in his sleep. Sighing with relief, he looked up at Meer, and again asked "Why are you awake, honey?"_

"_I'm cold…"_

"_Huh?"_

"_I'm cold, dimwit…" Meer said with a smile. She grinned, then asked him "Could you keep me warm?"_

_He rose out of his bed, and pulled out a doona. Taking her by the hand, he led her outside, and they crouched, wrapped in the doona, watching the stars in the clear bush sky. The cold wind blew overhead, but Meer didn't mind; she was warm, and with Yunna, who, in her opinion, was the best guy in the world._

"_The stars…their so beautiful tonight…" Meer whispered. She'd always liked the stars. She thought they had a romantic feel to them, and that their unearthliness was just like love-it was so beautiful that it wasn't of this world._

_"They're shining for you, honey…they're shining for you…" Yunna smiled at her, and the two of them lay wrapped in the doona._

Meer could remember it all. When Yunna had first seen the Goddesses, he'd just madly stared at them, and he seemed to forget all about her. She'd tried to get his attention again, get him to notice _her_…but nothing happened.

_I went to such great lengths to impress him…I even tried to be like Lacus, who he said he had a crush on, and he just brushed me aside…and…and…_Meer burst into tears, and remembered the day that…

_…she'd dyed her hair. It was all pink now. She'd looked a lot like Lacus to start with, but…she just had that charisma. According to Yunna, at least. She was popular, could sing, was unique, caring, well-known, respected, intelligent…EVERYTHING! And Yunna liked her because of all that! He hadn't even talked with her for more than a minute, and he liked the girl…_

_Slowly, she stepped out of the car. The first person she wanted to find was Yunna. She wanted him to see how she looked. She wanted him to tell her that she was beautiful. The way he talked about Lacus. She ignored the glances and accusing glares of her classmates, and instead went to find Yunna._

"_Yunna! There you are!" Yunna's purple-haired head was stuck in a book. He looked up at stared at her hair._

"_Meer…your hair…what…" Yunna asked, stuttering._

"_Do you think it looks good?" Meer asked, bubbly as ever._

_Yunna paused, and then said, "No. I don't like it." And then he walked off. For the rest of the day, Meer was hounded by the glares of her peers, and murmurs of "copycat" and "weirdo" following her around. When she got home, she cried._

It had hurt.

It had hurt to hear him say that.

She had lived with it for a long time. She kept up the appearance, hoping that maybe, one day, he might say she looked beautiful. But he never had…until…

"_This may be my last chance to show him that I'm beautiful. To show him…to show him that I love him."_

_Athrun stared at her blankly as he recounted her story. It'd been hard to believe, but he'd observed Meer. Once, he'd had a crush on her, he confessed, but he'd seen her and Yunna grow more distant._

"_Will you help me? Because I feel this is my last chance to impress him. My last chance…or else…"_

"_I'll help…don't worry. I'll help you Meer."_

Meer could remember the events of tonight, the sad and bitter events that had torn her life asunder.

"_I still…I still love you, Yunna." Meer's voice trembled as she admitted her feelings a second time to the boy that had left her heartbroken and sad. But I still love him. I still do. No matter what he says._

_Yunna looked up at her, face disarrayed and a mixture of surprise and pleasure in his face. But he tried to cover it up, and his face hardened again as he tried to deny his feelings. "I can't stay with you Meer. I need a girl who is good looking, who is beautiful-"_

"_Didn't you say I was beautiful?" Meer asked, trembling. Oh please, God, not again…not again…_

"_Meer, I got asked out by a Goddess, and you expect me to deny her?" Yunna's voice tried to employ a pleading tone, and Meer finally broke. She began to sob uncontrollably._

"_I did everything I could to show you I loved you! I dressed as a Goddess; I tried to sing as well as one, all so I could impress you because I loved you. And every time I did, you just pushed me further and further away. Why, Yunna? Why?" Meer sobbed again._

"Why? Why do you hate me?" she asked again. _You have two very real choices. To get over the fact that he hates you, or to not get over it. What will you do?_ Her mind asked her.

"Prepare for a bloody dawn…you don't know what you've caused Yunna…"

* * *

Tolle sped down the road, his Skyline's engine roaring as the highway carried him toward Kira's house at over a hundred kilometres an hour. Tolle was a responsible driver, and he'd never been clocked for drunken driving or speeding, which was a record he was proud of. And even now, he was still under the speed limit.

"Dum-bah doom-doom-doom-doom da-da-da-da-da-da daaaaaaa yeaaaah!" Tolle sang, quite out of tune, to the jazz CD he was listening to.

Kira had rang him earlier, asking, in a downcast manner whether Tolle could pick him up. After all, Kira had just had a break-up, and the boy was probably not in the most stable mental condition. _Dunno why Kira needed _me_ to take him back home…_

Tolle was a courtier of heartache. He'd been a secret admirer of Lacus Clyne, and then Flay Alster. In succession, he'd come to heartbreak and sadness, so when Miriallia had come into his life, he'd doubted her love for him. _Miri…heh, how could I be so dumb?_

_I should have known…that you were gonna be my baby…that you were gonna be my girl…and I will always stick by your side…_Tolle's car sped along, Tolle distracted by thoughts of Miriallia spiralling around in his head.

Unfortunately, someone else was distracted too…someone crossing the road…

* * *

"Dammit. Damn, damn, dammit. Why did this have to turn out this way?" Athrun wondered aloud.

_Because you were stupid. You _knew _that this would happen. You _knew _that this would lead to someone's heart breaking. And what do you do, you silly boy? You followed through with it…_

"Damn you…I'd rather be burned than pass life by like the old geezer you want me to become…"

_Even your arguments with me are half-hearted…I hear it in your voice…you cannot win against me…_

"Damn you…DAMN YOU!" Athrun roared at the top of his voice. "I will win…I WILL WIN! You can't stop me, no matter what you say! All you've done is cause me grief!"

That's the spirit! C'mon, try harder, your pitiful arguments are like annoying flies… 

Athrun suddenly saw the light. A bit too late, however.

* * *

Tolle's skyline suddenly skidded across the road, as Tolle realised he'd nearly crashed into someone. Veering to the left, he desperately tried to right his car, but to no avail; the car ploughed down the hill, out of control. Screaming, he covered his face, preparing to meet the end.

It came swiftly; a moment later, he crashed into a tree and a branch pierced through his throat, cutting his windpipe open. His death would be slow and painful-he was losing the air he needed to supply his body with oxygen. Blood was spilling from the wound, but strangely enough, Tolle cold think of only one person-Miriallia.

The blood was all over the windshield now. He looked at it; saw it in a different light. It was paint, just like the paint he'd used when he was young, paint he never used now. Then he'd been too busy to paint. Now…now it was different. Painstakingly, he traced his finger into the blood, and wrote something on the steering wheel.

When he realised his message wouldn't fit onto the steering wheel, and knowing his time was trickling away from him, he traced on the right side of the windshield a message. It would be the most important message for many people. The most important message in their life.

Athrun hurried over to the car, to find that it's occupant was dead. His hand had been poised, rigid, on the windshield. He'd been writing in his own blood, using his finger. "Oh God…what have I done?"

_Fuck…run, fool…RUN!_

Athrun ran. To the car. Even if the door's were shut, even if the occupants weren't moving and appeared that they were dead, he had to be sure. He hurried over, and inspected…

"Tolle? Oh God no…" Athrun murmured to himself. Then he read what the boy had written in his dying moments…

The blood dribbled down, the letters messy and unsteady, but readable. Every letter had blood as its underline, and the red liquid dribbled messily everywhere, a great contradiction to the actual message. It read…

"Be happy."

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**Sorry about the "Climatic End" Part. You can imagine what the next chapter is...Oh well. It was from a friend's MSN nickname...**  



	13. The Date! The Climatic End!

**Chapter 13: Conclude The Date-The Climatic End!**

**PS: this is not about sex…**

**PPS: Thanks to ovp who helped with ideas for this chapter. So far, I've been reviewed by…**

The Jackle

asga

ll innocence ll

Saito.Batch

Genny-chan

tkdl

Mini-MoonStar

FireDreamerAngel

Artemis Maxwell-Yuy

ANONYMOUS

jenniferseedlover

Craze Izumi

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Zala's Assassin

PINKSISA

Life.Love.Hate.Death.

Cari-Akira

ovp

**And I don't own Gundam Seed...yeah...but you know, I can make an equally good novel! Yeah, that's right, Bandai, take that!

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"…he's on the third floor, in Doctor Hawasaki's ward. Unfortunately you can't-"

BANG! With a loud _thud!_ The hospital receptionist landed on the floor, while two girls hurriedly stormed past her, one holding her fist clenched, poised, and ready to strike at any doctor or nurse stupid enough to try and stop her. As for the other of the two…

The pair ran to the elevator, and the one with her fist curled punched-literally _punched _the elevator button marked "three" to bring them to the third floor. They were met by a group of surgeons preparing for an operation, equipment neatly arranged on a tray, and checking their watches. They had somewhere to be, and waiting for an elevator wasn't their idea of quality time. Unfortunately, waiting for the surgeons to get through wasn't on the girls' minds either. Stepping right into one of the men and knocking him down, Cagalli stepped right over him, her friend Miriallia following her. They'd made it halfway through the hallway and were approaching the ward, when they were met by Lacus.

"What are you guys doing here?" Lacus asked, surprised.

"We came to see Athrun! He's just ahead!" Cagalli said quickly, bowling into Lacus. She and Miriallia crossed into the ward, a slightly stunned Lacus trailing behind them.

"Hey, are you alright man?"

"Hey, dude, don't space out on us like that…"

"Humph. Leave him alone. He needs some time to himself."

Three distinct male voices were worriedly talking amongst one another when the three girls burst in. Dearka, Yzak and Kira looked up to see Cagalli, Miriallia and Lacus standing in the doorway to Athrun's room. Almost a second later, another voice, a little squeaky, could be heard from the hallway.

"Athrun! Athrun! I've got your medication!" Nicol burst in, and upon doing so, bumped into Lacus, who bumped into Miriallia, who bumped into Cagalli, which caused all of them to suddenly fall onto the floor.

"Oh look. Nicol's gone pimping."

Looking thoroughly embarrassed, Nicol stood up, helping each of the girls stand. The moment Cagalli got onto her feet, she ran to Athrun, who was sitting on his bed, looking very depressed.

"Athrun? Oi, Athrun! Are you okay?"

Athrun's dark eyes looked up at hers and all the sadness, guilt, and horror of the night sunk into her. _Talk about a bad night…_

"I'm fine Cagalli. Why did you come?" Athrun looked at her sceptically, questioning her in a monotonous voice.

"I was worried about you! When I heard you'd been involved in a car crash I…well, I…I couldn't just sit there and hope you were alright! I had to know whether you'd been injured or something-by the way, are you injured?" Cagalli burst out in what seemed like a furious tone. Everyone who knew her well enough had, however, already concluded that she was so worried about Athrun that she'd made herself angry. Yzak chuckled from the corner of the room he was hiding in, causing Cagalli to utter a low growl from her mouth.

"No. Only my heart hurts, and I don't know what to do about it…" Athrun looked up, eyes glazed, then looked at Miriallia. "Do you want to know what happened?"

The auburn haired girl nodded, sitting down. In an instant, Dearka appeared beside her, and, to everyone's surprise, she sunk onto his shoulder, slender frame heaving as the tears she was trying to hold back began to trickle down from her eyes. Dearka wrapped his arm around her, and held her closer to him, murmuring, "It's alright, it's alright Milly…"

Athrun recounted the events of the night, listening to every wracking sob and shudder from Miriallia. As he finished his story, he noticed something-Kira and Lacus had, throughout the whole time, stood at opposite ends of the room. The two of them stood staring at the ground for the whole time. And, as Athrun recalled what Kira had told him about the events that had occurred that night, he wondered, _Did they ever get to talk to one another, and know what actually happened that night?_

Athrun's thoughts were violently interrupted as-

"I'll kill you!" Miriallia screamed, grabbing Athrun's neck suddenly, and in a surprisingly strong grip began to choke him to death. Almost immediately, all of them were prying her hands off of Athrun, while he sat there, stunned, Cagalli shielding Athrun from the crazed girl with her body.

"You killed him! You bastard! It was your fault he died! You should be dead, not him! I'll…I'll…" Miriallia broke down into muffled sobs, as she swore under her breath.

Two people quietly exited the room-one fleeing, one chasing.

No one notices their leaving; two ghosts of sadness, small compared to the waves of tragedy before them, disappear from the room.

Lacus moved quickly, trying to avoid Kira, who doggedly followed her in a poorly concealed attempt to not appear as thought he _was_ following her. Of course, he was failing miserably.

Lacus turned corner after corner, racing past nameless faces, forever trying to run from Kira. She knew what he wanted to say, but she didn't want to hear him say it.

He wants to break up with me. It's the only explanation for why he would allow Flay onto him like that. Why were they undressed? Why was she straddling him? Why…oh why, why can't this just be over?

Lacus had just ran outside of the hospital. She turned another corner-into a dark alleyway.

And there, silhouetted in the moonlight, was Kira.

He was wearing a white shirt, streaked with red down the chest. To her point, half-bathed in moonlight, a weird, twisted fervour dancing in his eyes, he looked like a bloodthirsty animal, out to satisfy a hunger. A carnal need.

And as they locked eyes, she realised what that need was. Her.

_He…he wants me…but…for what_

"Lacus…"

A thousand images blazed through Kira's mind. All of them were erotic fantasies, each one a variation of sweeping Lacus off her feet, bringing her home, and making passionate love the whole night, to ripping her clothes off right there and then and satisfying his urge to…

"Lacus…"

I've gotta warn her…I don't want…I don't want this to happen! At least not yet! It's…it's not right!

"Lacus…I…"

"Kira…if you came to tell me you didn't want to be with me anymore, I can understand. Just let me go." Lacus tried to brush past him, but Kira caught her wrist, pulling her back to him.

The nearness of her, the harsh sting of her words, the enveloping darkness; they washed over Kira, as his mind comprehended everything. _This isn't the Lacus I know…this isn't Lacus! Why? Why did this have to happen, why this way? Damn…_

"Lacus, I've missed you every day since you dumped me. Please, please, _please_ believe me…I know it's hard to believe, but…"

Lacus' face was calm, despite the bear-like embrace Kira had wrapped her in. Slowly, brushing off his arms, Lacus took a step backward, composing herself with a deep breath. Folding her arms under her chest, she asked, "Why? Why did you allow her to…?"

Kira's gaze averted toward the ground, as despair and primal instincts began to take over.

"It was…she was offering me sex, Lacus…it was…every time, I would always want it, but I didn't wanna offend you by asking, and…it was just…when I realised that…"

Kira's incomprehensible rabble lasted for a few minutes. Finally, he managed to organise his thoughts in a proper manner.

"I think I'm sorta…addicted to sex or something…"

Lacus couldn't believe her ears.

"Addicted to sex?"

"Yeah…"

"What do you mean?"

"I'd see a hot chick everyday at school, and when I got home…I dunno, I'd just go crazy…whenever I came home, she'd fill my dreams, my imagination, and I…I guess I just went and started…"

Lacus face drew into a mixture of surprise and disgust.

"I can't believe you would think of such a weird and twisted way to lie about what happened that night. Get out of here, now."

Wrong words…wrong words, crap, I can't… 

Kira was losing his self-control. And Lacus' last words had eradicated it all together. Throwing himself onto her, he ripped off the dress she'd been wearing, to reveal her pale, radiant skin, and slim figure. Trying to push him away, Lacus made an attempted cry for help, but Kira's lips forcefully locked onto hers, deafening any noise she might've made.

Pinned by Kira's body, Lacus could only watch in horror, as Kira's hands found her bra, and ripped it off, exposing her heaving bosom. Kira had pulled her panties down to her legs, and try as hard as she may, she couldn't get Kira to stop.

_Is this what he means? Is he possessed by lust so much that he would rape me, here and now?_ Lacus could feel the fear running down her spine, could feel Kira's body slipping beyond the control of his mind, could feel the primal instincts that were controlling him, slowly wresting him into a sec-crazed state.

_Please Kira, don't do this…please._ Lacus mentally pleaded, as though her thoughts could reach him, and convince him to stop. _I think I can understand how you feel-all the anguish of something you felt you would never have. It was how I felt when I you kept on holding back from asking me out, and…_

Kira's hand was moving down, stroking her inner thigh, moving ever closer to a very private spot. Mind screaming, heart pounding, Lacus pushed Kira off her, but in the process, she fell down, and because of Kira standing over her, and her back to a wall, she couldn't stand up. She was trapped.

Kira's mind was blank, overloaded with the sweet smell of Lacus' hair, and the gentle curves of her body. As she fell, Kira began to unzip his pants, eager to satisfy the yearning in his body, his craving to…to have sex.

"Wait, Kira! I'm sorry…I didn't mean to hurt you…I'm sorry that I didn't talk to you about this before!" Lacus suddenly sobbed. And then, Kira's eyes, which had been blocked by lust, cleared, and he could see properly.

Lacus was a crying mess, tears streaming down her face, body heaving uncontrollably. Naked, blindly trying to fend him off, Lacus was a pitiful sight. Kira's eyes registered the full extent of what he'd done. Falling to his knees, Kira's cries of anguish rang out, a ghostly harmony with Lacus' sobs.

The need that had been unsatisfied vanished, fled his trembling body, leaving a gaping mess in its wake. Into it Kira poured that anguish from his torn mind, and let it ring through his cries of eerie melancholy.

"Lacus…what have I done?" Kira's eyes stared at the floor, as tears streamed down his face.

"It's alright Kira. I think I understand what you mean…" Lacus' sweet voice, calm and collected again, broke through the tidal waves of despair, like a light in the dark to a weary traveller. Kira looked up. Lacus had covered herself with the remains of her dress, and embraced him. To his surprise, Kira found himself returning it, and nearly broke away. But Lacus held him firm.

"When you kept me waiting for you to ask me out, I was always so sad. I never showed it, but I really…I really yearned for you to ask me out for a date or something…" Lacus' muffled voice spoke to his chest, and Kira could feel her warm breath through the fabric of his clothing. "And my heart sorta…I was sorta heartbroken that you didn't do anything…it was like you didn't care!"

"I guess it's a bit like that for you, right?" Lacus asked quietly.

"Yeah…"

"Kira…can we not do that 'til we're older?" Lacus asked.

"We'll see…" Kira's voice sounded playful, but a glance at Lacus told her the answer she'd been looking for. "I'll take you home. I'm sorry about your dress…"

"Could I borrow your jacket? Or your raincoat? To wrap myself up?"

"Sure."

The night sky framed the silhouette in a delicate shade of pale white on midnight blue, while glowing stars twinkled like fading light bulbs.

She stood there, a graceful shadow, about to descend from Heaven to Hell, like an angel without wings. The wind wound through the tree branches, mournfully whispering to one another.

Out of body and out of mind  
Kiss the demons out of my dreams

The bottle of pills were next to her, empty, while she held the handful of them in her dainty hand. She intended to take them all, pop them into her mouth, slowly, so that those last moments were wonderfully sweet, and devoid of pain.

I get the funny feeling, that's alright  
Jimmy says it's better than here,

She was going to go away, away from a place awash with pain. Where would she go? Nobody knows. Slowly, her hand trailed upward to her mouth, the pills about to flow down her throat to her stomach, to be ingested, to kill-

"Wait! Wait!" A boy runs in, shivering from the cold.

Drain the pressure from the swelling,  
The sensations overwhelming,

When she wakes up from this never-ending tomorrow, she'll be happy. That's what she thinks. "Don't! It won't solve anything! He won't come back to you if you do this!"

"At least he'll know! At least he'll know I love him!" The girl's words ring out in the chilled air, frosty cold, high pitched words of insanity cutting through the night.

"Other people love you! You know that!"

"My life is filled with pain! Why should I stay here?"

"Because, Miriallia, I love you!" Dearka yelled.

Give me a long kiss goodnight  
and everything will be alright  
Tell me that I won't feel a thing,  
So give me Novacaine

The shock is so great, she begins to sway, pills falling from her hand, and she begins her descent. Heaven doesn't lead to Hell. It goes to Earth first.

"Meer! Wait!" Yunna, after a fair bit of running, had managed to get to Meer's house. Meer was waiting for him, and when he showed up, she admitted him in. Panting, he looked up at her face, the tears that had morphed her beautiful face, the dye that had been washed out, the unchanging, emotionless stone that her face was set in.

"I guess we should talk."

"Maybe we should."

"Are you still angry?"

"I don't know."

The meaningless conversation continued. And then…

"Do you think I'm beautiful?"

Stunned, Yunna looked at her again. The face, set in stone, unmoving, the ruined eyeliner, morphed her face into something unrecognisable. And yet…

All the beautiful memories I have with you…in all of them you are beautiful…

"Yes."

Two people fell into an embrace, and fell asleep in each other's arms.

In a hospital room, a girl and boy are sleeping soundly next to one another.

A girl is being rushed to an emergency ward in hospital, while a boy stares at her helplessly.

A couple are driving home. One is wearing a raincoat, and nothing else. The other unzipped his pants, and forgot to zip them back up.

Two people are sleeping in an eternal embrace.

The night ends. The morning begins.

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**Awww...did you like it? REVIEW! NOW! **


	14. Taking my mind off things

**Alright! I'm sorry I took so long! I've had exams, and I really wanted to try and finish this off. I won't succeed, but I'll try as much as I possibly can. So sorry! Anyways, here's the next chapter! It's not perfect, but...well, tell me what you think! R&R!**

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** Chapter 14-Taking my mind off things**

A few weeks had passed since the altercations, during that fateful night when Miriallia had attempted to take her own life. She was still recovering from Tolle's death, and had been seeing the school counsellor.

I just hope she gets better soon...I mean, yeah. I dunno...I just hate seeing her all busted up, crying her eyes out every day over Tolle.

Dearka was in a hurry today. He'd woken up early, even though today everyone had a day off school, because the teachers were attending some course for specialised training.

_Why did I wake up early? When I could have slept late? Camping trip!_

Relishing the thought of nearly a whole weekend out in the wild, Dearka had spent all of last night thinking about what he was going to do while he "went bush". Then he realised he hadn't packed, but was too lazy to do it before he went to sleep.

Hence my doing it right now.

Dearka checked his list, audibly checking off every item he'd need for his trip that he'd written down.

"Booze." Dearka ran round to the liquor cabinet at the back of his house, and pulled a pack of beer out of the cabinet. Lugging it to his room, and cramming it into his bag, he looked at the next item.

"Shotgun." Dearka was perplexed with his choosing a firearm. "Why did I choose that? Oh yeah. Kill rabbits." With that, Dearka carefully lifted an air rifle that his dad had given him for a birthday. It was...supposed to be used under parental supervision.

_Supposed to being the keywords._

"Dearka. No guns." Dearka whirled around, to see his father standing in the doorway, arms folded across chest, looking annoyed.

"Please, Dad? Rabbit hunting?" Dearka pleaded.

"No."

"_Deer_ hunting?"

"No."

"Shooting Yzak?"

"Sure. Take the rifle. I'm going to bed." With that, Dearka's dad promptly left, and went straight back to bed.

"Shoot Yzak, eh?"

* * *

Once Dearka was packed he made himself some cereal. Around this time, his mother and father had just woken up; his father was a clinical psychologist, but he enjoyed hunting with Dearka during the weekends. Due to an increased workload, and high school, Dearka and his father now only managed to go hunting once every month.

Dearka's mother was part of the Government; a leading figure in the development of eco-friendly technologies. Having earned a PhD in Law, and a Masters in Chemistry she still managed to keep a fairly balanced life, setting time aside to be with her family and friends.

Dearka had a younger brother who attended the same primary school as Athrun's little sister Violet. Pietro was young, but very mild and disconcerting. Most of the time, the other kids bullied him, but Violet always seemed to be sticking up for him. The two seemed to have a friendship to a certain degree, albeit Violet was in one of those "social circles" that they had.

_Kids these days, can't believe at the age of, what? Nine? And they have social circles?_

Dearka greeted his family with a cheery "Good Morning!" They responded with a far duller repetition of his welcome.

"Well, I'm off to find Athrun and Kira!" Dearka said once he'd finished his meal, and cleaned up.

"Okay! Have fun at your trip, honey!" Dearka's mother didn't seem concerned about him heading off on a camp trip.

They probably'll start celebrating that I'm gone...well, let them have their fun.

Dearka started to walk in the direction of Athrun's house, where he, Athrun and Kira had agreed to meet. It was only a few blocks away, so he had no problem walking to Athrun's house, nor did he have any trouble walking to school.

He had walked for a little, when he encountered Miriallia. She was sitting, by herself, on one of the park benches, staring at the fountain. The leaping droplets fell back down, pulled by gravity, into the main body of water.

Much like her own life, huh? Good one moment, bad the next.

"Hey, Milly." Dearka called out to her. "What're you doing at this time of the morning?"

She turned around, from her sitting position on the bench, managing a weak smile.

"Hello, Dearka. I like the mornings, so I use them to think a bit." She turned back to gazing at the fountain. Dearka moved toward her, and, placing his bag on the ground, took a seat beside her.

"Uhh...you don't mind me sitting here, do you?"

"No." Short, quiet answers were all Dearka was getting.

This isn't Miriallia. She isn't even this quiet at school! She was quiet before Tolle's death, and nothing seemed to have changed, but...she's so quiet...

"What're you thinking about?"

"Not much." Again, the short, clipped answers. Dearka was starting to get a bit annoyed.

"Well...care to elaborate?" Dearka said again, trying to keep his annoyance in check.

"I'm just thinking about the night Tolle died. And what I did." Miriallia murmured quietly. "Just thinking about the night I nearly..."

"Oh..."

"Hey, Dearka?" Miriallia whispered. "You know, what you said. Did you really mean it?" Her eyes were teary, and she was looking away from him, as though she was guilty of something. Trying to catch her gaze, but failing, Dearka gave a fairly audible sigh.

"Yeah. I meant it. I did have a crush on you, and I still do." Dearka said. Suddenly he felt very uncomfortable, and made an attempt to stand up.

"Don't. Don't go. At least, not yet. Can we talk for a bit?" Miriallia's voice was pained, but Dearka checked his watch, and realised he was running late; he needed to be at Athrun's house in a few minutes.

"Could we walk and talk? I need to get to a friend's house, 'cause we're going on a trip later this morning." Dearka grunted, as he lugged his backpack back onto his shoulders. Miriallia gave a slight nod, stood up, and began to walk beside him.

Initially, they walked in silence. Dearka was waiting for Miriallia to tell him whatever she had wanted to tell him back at the park (he assumed she wanted to tell him something).

"Dearka..." Miriallia whispered to him while they walked. "I...I had a crush on you too. But you...well, I had a crush on both you and Tolle, and Tolle asked me out first, so I decided that I'd be his girlfriend."

Dearka nearly fell over, listening to her explanation, because his legs had momentarily turned into jelly. Recovering, he resumed his pacing, while Miriallia continued talking.

"I...I don't want to get too involved in a relationship yet-"

"Huh? Why not?" Dearka asked, now quite confused.

"It's only been a few weeks since Tolle died, I'm just not ready for another relationship yet..." Miriallia looked away again, as though she felt guilty about something.

I guess she feels real torn up over this whole thing, 'cause she seems real depressed.

"Well, looks like you really loved Tolle..." Dearka said, a benign smile on his face. "I think he loved you a lot as well..." Miriallia looked at him, a curios expression on her face, and then let out a small sniffle.

"Yes, we were. And now he's gone, it's really hard for me to bear..." Miriallia began to sob quietly, shoulders heaving in a futile attempt to control her crying. Dearka, however, just kept on walking ahead.

"He'd be really sad to see you like this." Dearka said, stopping ahead of her, but refusing to turn around. "He did want you to be happy. They were his last words, you know."

Miriallia looked at him again, puffy eyes moist with tears. "His last words were that he wanted me to be happy?"

"Yeah," Dearka deliberately faced way from her. It was as though he refused to believe that the girl before him was really Miriallia. "Athrun told me. He said that his last words were that he wanted you to be happy. Or rather, he wanted everyone to be happy."

"His last words? The doctors…the doctors said he died instantly! He couldn't have gotten any last words out!" Miriallia said shrilly.

"Athrun told me. He said Tolle died wanting everyone to be happy." Dearka's voice was almost dull, with no hint of emotion or feeling in it.

"Well, even if he wanted me to be happy…" Miriallia murmured to herself, "how can I be happy, when he's been taken away from me? How can I-"

"Dammit, Milly! You've got a great group of friends, a loving family, you're getting great marks at school, and you've got the chance to get into a really good profession! What more can you want? Don't let the past control you like this! Don't change just because of one bad thing in your life, when everyone else around you is trying to love you!" Dearka yelled in frustration, bringing Miriallia, who was half-crazed with grief, over the edge of her self-control.

"Dearka, you don't understand!" she hissed vehemently. Her voice grew to an angry cry. "You never lost someone who meant your whole life to you, the only person you've ever met that you think can make you truly happy!" Miriallia was now screaming, leaving Dearka to just stare at her in shock.

"You don't understand anything, do you? I loved Tolle! I loved him! And now, he's been taken away from me! I've lost my only true happiness! How would you react in my position, huh?" Miriallia was sobbing again, and her voice was cracking under the strain of sobbing and screaming at the same time. "How would you-"

She was cut off by Dearka, who grabbed her in a hug, pushing her body up against him, and holding her, like a limp rag doll, against his body. Every sensation in her body was null, segregated away from her, as she allowed herself to be pulled into the embrace.

"Milly. When I was twelve, one of my friends died of cancer. She'd had the disease since she was a young kid." Dearka was whispering into her ear now, as he held the brunette in a bear like embrace. "She was my best friend. She taught me things about life I'd never have know if it wasn't for her, 'cause she knew she was going to die, and she lived it up 'till the end. I know what its like to lose people you love. I loved her, I'm sure of that."

Both Dearka and Milly's faces were stained with tears, and as Dearka released his embrace, he looked down at his own shoes, his voice strained and uncertain as he tried to find the right words of what he wanted to say. "Miriallia, sometimes, even if there's someone in the world that was really meant for us, that can make us really, truly happy, but we can't be with them, sometimes...it's better to settle for second-best." Miriallia was crying into his shirt, a light drizzle of rain that had begun to patter softly on the footpath hiding her tears.

"If we can't settle for one-hundred percent of happiness, sometimes, we have to settle for eighty or ninety percent. It's a lot more than most people in the world today will ever experience." Dearka whispered, crying, the tears rolling down his cheeks as he held Miriallia. "If I spent my life with that girl, the one who had cancer, I would have been one-hundred percent happy. If you spent your life with Tolle, you'd be one hundred percent happy. But we don't have those people that'll make our lives the happiest they can possibly be. So, therefore, I guess I'd rather be with you, rather than be alone. Will you take a chance? Take a chance on me?"

"Dearka, I dunno. I don't know!" Miriallia sobbed to the falling rain, crying into Dearka's shirt, for the second time. Some of her tears dripped down, falling onto...

Dearka's pants.

"Uhh, Miriallia?" Dearka asked, worriedly.

"Yes?"

"Could you get off me for a second?"

"Huh?" Looking down, he checked his pants, to discover there was a large wet patch in the middle of his pants, which had been quite untouched by the previously falling, and now halting, rainfall.

"Hey, Dearka! Hi Milly!" Kira called out. "We were looking for you!" Dearka turned to face his friend, who was walking toward him, and discovered that Athrun was the 'we' with Kira. He looked at the two of them, who started to point and laugh at Dearka.

"What? Hey, why you guys laughing?"

"God Dearka, hope you don't need a nappy!" Athrun howled suddenly. "Or would a pad suffice?"

"It looks damn well like you pissed yourself!" Kira joined in raucously, pointing at the wet patch on Dearka's pants.

"Oh crap." Dearka turned back to Miriallia, who looked at his pants, then gave a weak giggle.

"My bad..." she whispered. "I'll be off now." With those parting words, she left Dearka with his friends, who were still laughing about his inability to retain liquids.

* * *

Athrun, Kira and Dearka arrived at Nicol's house, by walking from the train station; they'd caught the train to get to his house and they just managed to get out at the right station, because they'd been too lazy to get tickets, and the ticket-checker had arrived as they had departed. Nicol's house was fairly grand, owing to Nicol's father being a conductor and composer of music for orchestras, and Nicol being a renowned concert pianist. Many of his trips overseas were the results of piano concerts and group tours for orchestras that he and his father participated in.

Right now, Athrun could care less about Nicol. He was thinking about what had happened between him and Cagalli, a few weeks ago, in the hospital ward.

Miriallia had left after Kira and Lacus, as had all the rest of the group. Athrun still seemed traumatised with Tolle's death, and it had taken a while yet to calm Miriallia down and make her understand that it wasn't Athrun's fault that Tolle had died.

Athrun lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling as he reminisced on the horrible events of the night. He could see it again, the car, speeding towards him, veering off, hitting a tree. Him on the floor, standing up, running over. There was blood, blood everywhere.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" Cagalli whispered. Her throat was hoarse from all her crying, which had happened after their friends had left. She'd said she'd been worried about him, and how he should've been more careful.

"Like crap. I still feel real guilty." Athrun murmured wistfully.

"You shouldn't. You know it was an accident. Just accept it, eh?" Jumping onto the bed, and lying down, so she was next to Athrun, she gave a content sigh. "You know, I still want to have you back, even if I can understand your reasons for breaking up."

"I still need a bit more time. There's stuff in my life I need to deal with before I can take you back into my life, Cagalli." Athrun turned his head, so he was staring at the blonde's amber eyes. "I do have feelings for you Cagalli. I really do. And I do want to be a part of your life, but..."

"You can't." Cagalli whispered. She turned away again, leaving Athrun slightly pained.

"I...I can't...because I can't, I just won't allow it. I just won't allow myself to take a risk that if I'm with you I could get really badly hurt." Athrun whispered to Cagalli's back, staring up at the ceiling again. "In my head, I can't stop myself from not just falling down and taking a risk. Taking a chance that you're the one I love."

"And you want to get rid of this by yourself?"

"I'd rather. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. I'll be fine. Just promise you'll come back to me." Cagalli turned around again, holding out her hand to Athrun. "Pinky promise?"

Athrun, surprised, said, "Cagalli, I'm not a kid."

"Pinky promise?" Cagalli whispered, tears in her eyes. That's when he realised; she wanted some kind of symbol from him that meant he was going to hold to his word. Extending his hand, he hooked his little finger around hers.

"Pinky promise."

* * *

That was in the past now. They'd already come up to the Amalfi's door. Raising his hand, Dearka rapped the door with his knuckles, prompting a reply of "I'm coming" from Nicol's recognised voice.

"Hey! Guys, you're here! Yzak's in the living room, catching up with my cousin, Shiho!" Nicol seemed to cringe at the mention of each of the names.

"Shiho?" Dearka asked, pondering to himself.

"Isn't that the one who he said...?" Athrun said quietly to himself.

"Didn't she...?" Kira wondered aloud.

* * *

Yzak sat, looking across from him, at the straight-haired brunette. She in turn sipped her tea, unnerved by his glare. Their staring competition continued.

Yzak could remember this strange Russian girl, the one who had really been imprinted into his memories as a child. The one he'd met at Nicol's party. Nicol's Christmas Party.

_4 years ago..._

"The winter. It's so cold in Russia. I hate it." The girl's neutral voice startled Yzak from his languishing at the window. Previously, he'd been observing the snow fall down, but the girl had abruptly broken through his myriad of thoughts about winter. Turning to face her, slightly bemused, he beckoned for her to explain her feelings over the coldest season. "It is harsh, where I come from. The chills, they bite and freeze you. Many people are injured, or die from the severity of the cold during winter."

"I rather like it. I think it gives you time to think, by making you stay inside." Yzak said, countering her statement with everything that he liked about winter. "I think that it's a rather beautiful season, what with the snow, and it's the time of Christmas. Pretty much, the only time I'm happy."

"I guess you never experienced a Siberian winter, have you, Mr...?"

"Joule." Yzak was beginning to get interested in this girl, whose neutral tones, and bland expressions, he noted, resembled his own behaviours.

"I see. Well, Mr. Joule, a Siberian winter will freeze you to the core, no matter how much clothing you wear. Revealing once inch, one centimetre of skin, will cause frostbite, so sever, that parts of your body can break off from the condition. That, Mr. Joule, is a Siberian winter."

"Well, then, I guess the people who were brave enough to take off their clothes in the middle of winter were quite stupid, no?"

Yzak didn't notice the girl growl softly, and only seemed to be partially aware of her feelings when she notified him with a hiss.

"My father died of frostbite. Would you like to add something more, to your speech about people like him being stupid?"

"Well, I'm sorry! It's just my view!" Yzak said. He regretted it immediately; he hadn't meant to offend the girl that way. He regretted it even more, as she jumped up, and, drink in hand, splashed him with a mug full of hot chocolate.

"Merry Christmas, asshole!" She near screamed, before punching him in the face, leaving him with a spoiled, and very hot shirt, and a black eye.

"Bitch..." was the only word coming out of his mouth.

"My name's Shiho Hahnenfuss. What's yours?" the girl grated, frustrated for some reason. She'd turned away, leaving Yzak to wonder why she'd asked such a strange question.

"Why the heck should I tell you?"

"Just say it!"

"Yzak. Yzak Joule."

"'Kay." She spoke something else in Russian to herself, then walked off, leaving a stunned, and furious Yzak to wonder to himself how he could have let someone get the better of him like that girl had just done.

"THAT F.U.C-" Yzak was about to scream, then restrained himself, remembering that some little kids were in the house.

Instead, he just screamed, "BITCH!"

* * *

_The present..._

"So, did you get my letter?" Shiho asked a fuming Yzak, who watched the girl with suspicion.

"Yes. I threw it into the bin." Yzak said, as politely as he could. He'd received a letter, with the words 'From Shiho Hahnenfuss' on the envelope. His previous dealings with her and gone unfavourably, thus prompting him to refuse anything the Hahnenfuss girl might have sent him.

For a moment, Shiho's composure slipped, but she immediately regained her bland face, again asking, "Did you enjoy the present I gave to you, that Christmas four years ago?"

"What present?"

"This." And smacked him in the face. Hard.

_Goddamn, that bitch has a slap..._

"What the hell was that for?" But the Hahnenfuss girl had already left the room.

* * *

Nicol watched his cousin, Shiho, exit from the lounge. He offered a meek, "How's it going to her?" and his friend's followed suit.

"I think, since everyone's here, we might as well go," said Shiho. Dearka and Kira agreed with her, quickly following her outside. Apparently, she had a reputed temper, much like Yzak.

_Except for the fact that she's a girl..._Athrun thought to himself. _That made it a hundred times worse..._

Athrun was about to take his leave as well, when he suddenly noticed Yzak hobble from the lounge room, holding his face.

"I got owned." Yzak murmured, clutching his face. "Yeah, dude...I got...like owned." And then he fell over, unconscious. Shiho, who'd turned her around, upon hearing a 'thump!' looked at the concussed Yzak.

"Looks like I hit him pretty hard..." Shiho murmured to herself, a look of guilt plastered over her face.

* * *

**HEY! I'm back. Tell us what you thought of this chapter, and my abominable writing skills! Larry, over and out!**

**And I'm sorry if this didn't flow too well, it was really crap in my opinion...( but it all depends on what you say! **


	15. Camping Tripand fall

**HELLO! I'M SORRY I HAVE'T POSTED FOR LONG TIME BUT ISH HIGH AND MUST POST AND HAD THIS FOR AWHLE AND WILL TRY AND GET SOMETHING ELSE UP AFTERWARD WHREN I FINISH SOMETHING HAHAHAHAHAHA-Read.**

**  
Chapter 15-Camping Trip**

"Man, if I didn't love my piano so much, I would love to do this for the rest of my life!" Nicol said, laidback, as they began to hike through the dense foilage that surrounded their little town. "In my opinion, if someone is resolved to do something, like, they should just go and do it, yeah?"

"Whatever." Dearka grinned, sighing. It had been quite a while since any of them had gotten a good, long stretch outside. Thus far, all of them were enjoying their camping trip. Athrun had brought a ton of marshmallows inside his pack, and Kira had been thinking of stuff to do while they were out in the wild. "It feels good to be outside, though..."

_Well, I guess Athrun didn't bring a ton of marshmallows, but it must be enough to last us for a weekend..._Dearka thought. _Though, knowing me, I guess that it might be a problem 'cause I eat a lot..._

"Hey, wanna start up a bonfire afterward?" Kira asked, a massive grin spread over his face. He surveyed the area around them, then added, "I think there's enough dry wood, and we brought some matches!"

"Isn't this a protected zone?" Nicol asked. "I mean, I thought I heard some government head guy talking about not being allowed to burn anything here..."

"It'll only be small. A compromise, yeah?" Kira replied. "Like, we won't be able to have a big bonfire, so we can't burn too much wood, but we can still have a little fire..."

"To roast Yzak in, eh?" Dearka laughed, causing the silver-haired boy to start from what seemed to be a contemplative mood. Suddenly, he pointed to his bag, and whispered "I snuck in a rifle from my house. I was told to shoot Yzak with it."

All the other boys chuckled lightly at the remark, except for Yzak, who'd been fairly quiet throughout their whole trip. Dearka turned around to take a look at his friend, who was staying at the back, wisely keeping away from Shiho, who, at the front, seemed to be in a destructive mood, stomping away at the worn path.

Slowing his pace to allow Yzak to catch up to him Dearka tried to engage his friend in some light conversation. "So, are you excited about the camp out?" Dearka said lightheartedly. "Kira's thinking of making a massive bonfire!" Normally, Yzak loved to burn things. Such as burning Dearka's hair after school when they were little kids. But now...

_He's like...all spaced out and everything, and he won't talk. Usually he yells a lot, but right now he's just...too, I dunno...quiet!_

"What's on your mind, Yzak?" Dearka asked, trying to discern why his friend was so withdrawn. A simple grunt, which indicated that his friend didn't want to talk, was his only reply. Sighing, Dearka offered his own little piece of advice. "Just enjoy yourself, man. Don't go ripping everyone new ones or something..."

"Hey, Dearka?" Yzak suddenly called out to him, as Dearka began to pick up his pace again, in an attempt to catch up with Kira and Athrun, who were already up at the front. "What do you think of that Shiho girl?"

"Hmm..." was all Dearka could say. All he could think of, however, was bursting out laughing, and saying how alike Shiho and Yzak were in the way they behaved. "She acts a lot like you..."

His comment made Yzak turn, first, rather, pale, followed by a sickly shade of green, and then flushed, and Yzak's breathing began to speed up. He looked at Dearka in an almost pleading way, while the blonde boy was too stunned to do anything, other than watch his friend, who seemed to be having trouble breathing.

"Hyper...ventihilating..." Yzak said, rasping slightly. Finally, after settling himself down, Yzak murmured to Dearka, "Okay. Not good..." And then Yzak just turned back into the silent shell of himself he'd been for the past few hours.

Afterwards, they reached the site where Nicol had planned to set up the camp. Dearka and Athrun went off to find some wood for the fire that they intended to build later tonight, while Shiho went to get some water. This left time for Yzak and Nicol to talk to each other, one-on-one.

"Why the heck is _she_ here?" Yzak hissed at Nicol, who nonchalantly smiled at Yzak's outrage. He'd been expecting it for awhile, ever since Shiho had punched him in the face.

"Well, she needs to be exposed to our culture more, and the landscape, so I figured that this was the perfect time to introduce her to our aspects of life." Nicol laughed, then added, "She is, after all, going to be studying here for awhile..."

"Ohh, no..." was Yzak's dread-filled reply.

"Yes, as I was saying she'll be here for awhile..." Nicol got out these words, before Yzak's fist decked him square in the face. Yzak walked away, leaving a stunned Nicol, to just mutter, "Shouldn't have said it, shouldn't have said it..."

Later that night, all of the campers huddled around the bonfire. Kira had lied about the size; it had grown to become a large, blazing ball of warmth that was radiating heat to all of them as they sat around the fire. Athrun had brought a pack of cards, and now, he Kira, Dearka, and Nicol, all sat in a circle, playing poker.

"Raise 50c." Nicol murmured.

"Raise you 20c." Dearka said cooly, grinning. Yzak peeked at Dearka's hand, and realised that Dearka was bluffing. If his bluff didn't work...

_Well, it's not a lot of money, but still...it's still money! I wouldn't want to lose anything!_

"Raise you all 50c..." Athrun called, but before Kira could make his bet-

"All in." Dearka said simply, withdrawing twent dollars worth of cash. Grinning, he laid it into the pot, and watched the other boys warily.

"I fold..." Nicol sighed defeatedly. Kira and Athrun followed dejectedly, revealing their hands one by one. They weren't extremely good hands, but it was easy to see that all of their cards could easily have beaten Dearka's.

"Thanks!" Dearka grinned, scooped the cash up, and pocketed it, while revealing his inferior card-hand. He smiled as he laid back and watched the other boys groan at their losses.

"Hey, wanna play charades?"

And then they were back at it; playin around and goofing off. Yzak suddenly felt very tired. He wasn't exactly the fittest person ever, and he still couldn't understand where all the boys' energy came from.

Yzak was about to crawl over (yes-crawl over, he's that tired) to his tent, when he heard a muffled sobbing from the surrounding foilage. Tiredly dragging himself to his feet, he limped over.

"Why...why didn't he..."

It was that girl, Shiho. She was on her knees, shoulders heaving, the tear drops falling from her sharp face onto the dusty earth, drenching it with salty water.

"Why didn't...he even look...?" Shiho was mumbling to herself as she tried to stand up again.

"Shiho..." Yzak mumbled. And again, Yzak did the wrong thing; Shiho paused in a reminisces, then stiffened as she realised who was talking. Abruptly, she tackled him to the floor

"You! Why?" Shiho uttered in a guttural tone. "Why didn't you-"

She was cut short as they rolled around for a few seconds, and then, somehow, they rolled off a cliff that had been right next to them, that Yzak had forgotten about. It also happened that if he didn't do anything, Shiho would most likely plummet into the floor, face-first.

Yzak twisted in the precious few seconds he had in mid-air, trying to push Shiho onto him, while he prepared himself for the fall on his back. He had, over time, learnt how to break his fall, and he had a feeling that if he landed this right, he could save both of their-

_CRACK!_ Yzak saw stars as Shiho unleashed a massive right punch to his jaw. Somehow, even in his half-conscious state, he managed to break his fall. Beside him, Shiho landed, rather heavily, on her knees.

"Damn you, bitch! Why did you go and do that?" Yzak hollered at Shiho, who was still on her knees.

"It...hurts..." Shiho murmured. A teardrop fell from her eyes. "Hurts..." She repeated her statement, then, abruptly, she fell face forward.

"Oi! Bitch! Stand up!" Yzak was beginning to feel like he couldn't tolerate Shiho's whining anymore. First smashing him in the face, and now she was complaining about stuff like...

"Crap..." Yzak breathed, noticing Shiho's bloodied and bruised knees. His first insinct was to quickly rush over and carry Shiho somewhere, but Yzak banished the idea with the thought. _Heroes usually are the ones in trouble_.

"Please, can you help me?" Shiho gasped in pain, trying to push herself up with just her hands, but finding herself unable to. "I can't move..."

Warily, Yzak approached her, and slipped his arms around her limp body. He contemplated pulling away, and readied himself for some kind of shouting or reprimand for touching her. Instead, she murmured something to him, but unfortunately for him he didn't hear it.

"What did you say?" he inquired, half not-wanting to find out.

"Thank you." Shiho repeated. Yzak grunted, trying to remain unmoved, and gently propper Shiho up against a wall of dirt. They were sheltered by the cover of trees, but other than that, if it rained, as he'd thought it might, then there might not be so much shelter after all. A fog was rolling in; by his estimations, they wouldn't be rescued until at least tomorrow morning...

"Kira? Athrun? Dearka?" Yzak called out into the fog. He didn't expect to hear an answer, but one came to him anyway.

"Yzak? Yzak, is that you?" The sound of Kira's voice, quite calm and controlled was soothing on Yzak's nerves. Kira seemed to be coming closer and closer, however, to the edge of the ditch...

"Kira, wait! Don't come too near to me!" Yzak called again. "There's a ditch right here, and Shiho and I fell in. Shiho's busted her knees, but I'm fine..."

Kira groaned, frustrated, and then added, "We heard a scream and I came to check it out. I don't think there's anything I can do to help, though..."

"Just wait 'till the morning Kira, we can't do anything right now." Yzak called again. "Call the emergency services and sit tight. I think I'll be able to pull through...though Shiho..."

"Just take care of her, okay?"

"Yeah..." Yzak gritted his teeth as he reminisced on some rather painful memories. "Sure..."

Yzak scanned the surrounding area, but couldn't find any kind of additional shelter for him and Shiho to use. Sighing, he walked back over to Shiho and sat down, muttering about "today being a bad day" in between cursing and grunting.

"Well, looks like I'm stuck with you now." Yzak said, attempting to appear rational. What was he feeling? Oh yes. That was the word. _Bloody annoyed._

_Actually, that's two words._

_Shut up..._

_**YES I AM HYPO! ENJOY THE ITALICS! ALL MY LOZ FANS I WILL TRY AND WRITE SOMETHIGN SOON! OH, DAMN WRITING COMP. AND WRITER'S BLOCK!**  
_


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